SECIM utilizes some of the most sensitive NMR equipment in the world through our partner, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL, aka “MagLab”). In collaboration with Agilent Technologies, we recently developed a new NMR probe that is optimized for 13C detection and has a sample volume of just 40 μL. This probe is constructed with sophisticated high temperature superconducting (HTS) coils and can also be used for standard 1H detection.
In a recent publication, we showed that our new 1.5-mm HTS probe has over 2x greater mass sensitivity for 13C than the best commercially available probe. This unique instrument enables for the first time 13C data for metabolomics datasets. There are many advantages of 13C over conventional 1H NMR:
- There is much greater dispersion of signals across the spectrum, allowing for easier analysis of complex mixtures.
- The peaks are simple and narrow and at natural abundance 13C avoid problems with complex multiplets found in 1H data.
- Metabolites are carbon based, and the direct measurement of 13C should in principle lead to more robust database matching and compound identification.
The development of this new SECIM probe was made possible by a grant from the NIH (R01EB009772). Full details can be found in the original publication:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109078071300181X