We report a simple and effective method to remove IrIMes homogeneous polarization transfer catalysts from solutions where NMR Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange (SABRE) has been performed, while leaving intact the substrate’s hyperpolarized state. Following microTesla SABRE hyperpolarization of 15N spins in metronidazole, addition of SiO2 microparticles functionalized with 3-mercaptopropyl or 2-mercaptoethyl ethyl sulfide moieties provides removal of the catalyst from solution well within the hyperpolarization decay time at 0.3 T (T1>3 mins)—and enabling transfer to 9.4 T for detection of enhanced 15N signals in the absence of catalyst within the NMR-detection region. Successful catalyst removal from solution is supported by the inability to “re-hyperpolarize” 15N spins in subsequent attempts, as well as by 1H NMR and ICP-MS. Record-high 15N nuclear polarization of up to ~34% was achieved, corresponding to >100,000-fold enhancement at 9.4 T, and approximately 5/6th of the 15N hyperpolarization is retained after ~20-second-long purification procedure. Taken together, these results help pave the way for future studies involving in vivo molecular imaging using agents hyperpolarized via rapid and inexpensive parahydrogen-based methods.

The hyperpolarization of heteronuclei via Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE) was investigated under conditions of heterogeneous catalysis and microtesla magnetic fields. Immobilization of [IrCl(COD)(IMes)], [IMes = 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl), imidazole-2-ylidene; COD = cyclooctadiene] catalyst onto silica particles modified with NH2(CH2)3- linkers engenders an effective heterogeneous SABRE (HET-SABRE) catalyst that was used to demonstrate ~102-fold enhancement of 15N NMR signals in pyridine at 9.4 T following parahydrogen bubbling within a magnetic shield. No 15N NMR enhancement was observed from the supernatant liquid following catalyst separation, which along with XPS characterization, supports that the effects result from SABRE under heterogeneous catalytic conditions. The technique can be developed further for producing catalyst-free agents via SABRE with hyperpolarized heteronuclear spins, and thus is promising for biomedical NMR and MRI applications.

Herein, we demonstrate “direct” 13C hyperpolarization of 13C‐acetate via signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE). The standard SABRE homogeneous catalyst [Ir‐IMes; [IrCl(COD)(IMes)], (IMes=1,3‐bis(2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl), imidazole‐2‐ylidene; COD=cyclooctadiene)] was first activated in the presence of an auxiliary substrate (pyridine) in alcohol. Following addition of sodium 1‐13C‐acetate, parahydrogen bubbling within a microtesla magnetic field (i.e. under conditions of SABRE in shield enables alignment transfer to heteronuclei, SABRE‐SHEATH) resulted in positive enhancements of up to ≈100‐fold in the 13C NMR signal compared to thermal equilibrium at 9.4 T. The present results are consistent with a mechanism of “direct” transfer of spin order from parahydrogen to 13C spins of acetate weakly bound to the catalyst, under conditions of fast exchange with respect to the 13C acetate resonance, but we find that relaxation dynamics at microtesla fields alter the optimal matching from the traditional SABRE‐SHEATH picture. Further development of this approach could lead to new ways to rapidly, cheaply, and simply hyperpolarize a broad range of substrates (e.g. metabolites with carboxyl groups) for various applications, including biomedical NMR and MRI of cellular and in vivo metabolism.

The Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE) technique employs exchange with singlet-state parahydrogen to efficiently generate high levels of nuclear spin polarization. Spontaneous SABRE has been shown previously to be efficient in the milli-Tesla and micro-Tesla regimes. We have recently demonstrated that high-field SABRE is also possible, where proton sites of molecules that are able to reversibly coordinate to a metal center can be hyperpolarized directly within high-field magnets, potentially offering the convenience of in situ hyperpolarization-based spectroscopy and imaging without sample shuttling. Here, we show efficient polarization transfer from parahydrogen (para-H2) to the 15N atoms of imidazole-15N2 and nicotinamide-15N achieved via high-field SABRE (HF-SABRE). Spontaneous transfer of spin order from the para-H2 protons to 15N atoms at the high magnetic field of an MRI scanner allows one not only to record enhanced 15N NMR spectra of in situ hyperpolarized biomolecules, but also to perform imaging using conventional MRI sequences. 2D 15N MRI of high-field SABRE-hyperpolarized imidazole with spatial resolution of 0.3×0.3 mm2 at 9.4 T magnetic field and a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of ~99 was demonstrated. We show that 1H MRI of in situ HF-SABRE hyperpolarized biomolecules (e.g. imidazole-15N2) is also feasible. Taken together, these results show that heteronuclear (15N) and 1H spectroscopic detection and imaging of high-field-SABRE-hyperpolarized molecules are promising tools for a number of emerging applications.

Herein, we demonstrate “direct” 13C hyperpolarization of 13C‐acetate via signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE). The standard SABRE homogeneous catalyst [Ir‐IMes; [IrCl(COD)(IMes)], (IMes=1,3‐bis(2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl), imidazole‐2‐ylidene; COD=cyclooctadiene)] was first activated in the presence of an auxiliary substrate (pyridine) in alcohol. Following addition of sodium 1‐13C‐acetate, parahydrogen bubbling within a microtesla magnetic field (i.e. under conditions of SABRE in shield enables alignment transfer to heteronuclei, SABRE‐SHEATH) resulted in positive enhancements of up to ≈100‐fold in the 13C NMR signal compared to thermal equilibrium at 9.4 T. The present results are consistent with a mechanism of “direct” transfer of spin order from parahydrogen to 13C spins of acetate weakly bound to the catalyst, under conditions of fast exchange with respect to the 13C acetate resonance, but we find that relaxation dynamics at microtesla fields alter the optimal matching from the traditional SABRE‐SHEATH picture. Further development of this approach could lead to new ways to rapidly, cheaply, and simply hyperpolarize a broad range of substrates (e.g. metabolites with carboxyl groups) for various applications, including biomedical NMR and MRI of cellular and in vivo metabolism.