The sensitivity of both nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging is very low because the detected signal strength depends on the small population difference between spin states even in high magnetic fields. Hyperpolarization methods can be used to increase this difference and thereby enhance signal strength. This has been achieved previously by incorporating the molecular spin singlet para-hydrogen into hydrogenation reaction products. We show here that a metal complex can facilitate the reversible interaction of para-hydrogen with a suitable organic substrate such that up to an 800-fold increase in proton, carbon, and nitrogen signal strengths are seen for the substrate without its hydrogenation. These polarized signals can be selectively detected when combined with methods that suppress background signals.

While the characterization of materials by NMR is hugely important in the physical and biological sciences, it also plays a vital role in medical imaging. This success is all the more impressive because of the inherently low sensitivity of the method. We establish here that [Ir(H)2(IMes)(py)3]Cl undergoes both pyridine (py) loss as well as the reductive elimination of H2. These reversible processes bring para-H2 and py into contact in a magnetically coupled environment, delivering an 8100-fold increase in 1H NMR signal strength relative to non-hyperpolarized py at 3 T. An apparatus that facilitates signal averaging has been built to demonstrate that the efficiency of this process is controlled by the strength of the magnetic field experienced by the complex during the magnetization transfer step. Thermodynamic and kinetic data combined with DFT calculations reveal the involvement of [Ir(H)2(η2-H2)(IMes)(py)2]+, an unlikely yet key intermediate in the reaction. Deuterium labeling yields an additional 60% improvement in signal, an observation that offers insight into strategies for optimizing this approach.

The cationic iridium complex [Ir(COD)(PCy(3))(py)]BF(4) (1) is shown to react with dihydrogen in the presence of pyridine (py) to form the dihydride complex fac,cis-[Ir(PCy(3))(py)(3)(H)(2)]BF(4) (2). Complex 2 undergoes rapid exchange of the two bound pyridine ligands which are trans to hydride with free pyridine; the activation parameters for this process in methanol are DeltaH(double dagger) = 97.4 +/- 9 kJ mol(-1) and DeltaS(double dagger) = 84 +/- 31 J K(-1) mol(-1). When parahydrogen is employed as a source of nuclear spin polarization, spontaneous magnetization transfer proceeds in low magnetic field from the two nascent hydride ligands of 2 to its other NMR active nuclei. Upon interrogation by NMR spectroscopy in a second step, signal enhancements in excess of 100 fold are observed for the (1)H, (13)C and (15)N resonances of free pyridine after ligand exchange. The degree of signal enhancement in the free substrate is increased by employing electronically rich and sterically encumbered phosphine ligands such as PCy(3), PCy(2)Ph, or P(i)Pr(3) and by optimizing the strength of the magnetic field in which polarization transfer occurs.

When parahydrogen adds to a metal template containing a substrate of interest, the substrate and parahydrogen become coupled, and polarization is shared between the two without the incorporation of the parahydrogen into the substrate. A mechanism for this polarization transfer is presented in which the transfer is propagated through the scalar couplings. At zero field, polarization is transferred between two-, three-, and four-spin zero quantum states, but no single spin magnetization is created. The interplay between the chemical shift evolution and the evolution under scalar coupling at non-zero field generates additional longitudinal spin order and now includes single spin longitudinal z-magnetization. The additional chemical shift interaction introduces a field dependency to the nuclear spin states of the polarized substrate. The net effect of the polarization field strength on the resultant nuclear spin states is shown to be predictable but complex.

No abstract

No abstract

Magnetic resonance provides a versatile platform that allows scientists to examine many different types of phenomena. However, the sensitivity of both NMR spectroscopy and MRI is low because the detected signal strength depends on the population difference that exists between the probed nuclear spin states in a magnetic field. This population difference increases with the strength of the interacting magnetic field and decreases with measurement temperature. In contrast, hyperpolarization methods that chemically introduce parahydrogen (a spin isomer of hydrogen with antiparallel spins that form a singlet) based on the traditional parahydrogen induced polarization (PHIP) approach tackle this sensitivity problem with dramatic results. In recent years, the potential of this method for MRI has been recognized, and its impact on medical diagnosis is starting to be realized. In this Account, we describe the use of parahydrogen to hyperpolarize a suitable substrate. This process normally involves the introduction of a molecule of parahydrogen into a target to create large population differences between nuclear spin states. The reaction of parahydrogen breaks the original magnetic symmetry and overcomes the selection rules that prevent both NMR observation and parahydrogen/orthohydrogen interconversion, yielding access to the normally invisible hyperpolarization associated with parahydrogen. Therefore the NMR or MRI measurement delivers a marked increase in the detected signal strength over the normal Boltzmann-population derived result. Consequently, measurements can be made which would otherwise be impossible. This approach was pioneered by Weitekamp, Bargon, and Eisenberg, in the late 1980s. Since 1993, we have used this technique in York to study reaction mechanisms and to characterize normally invisible inorganic species. We also describe signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE), an alternative route to sensitize molecules without directly incorporating a molecule of parahydrogen. This approach widens the applicability of PHIP methods and the range of materials that can be hyperpolarized. In this Account we describe our parahydrogen studies in York over the last 20 years and place them in a wider context. We describe the characterization of organometallic reaction intermediates including those involved in catalytic reactions, either with or without hydride ligands. The collection of spectroscopic and kinetic data with rapid inverse detection methods has proved to be particularly informative. We can see enhanced signals for the organic products of catalytic reactions that are linked directly to the catalytic intermediates that form them. This method can therefore prove unequivocally that a specific metal complex is involved in a catalytic cycle, thus pinpointing the true route to catalysis. Studies where a pure nuclear spin state is detected show that it is possible to detect all of the analyte molecules present in a sample using NMR. In addition, we describe methods that achieve the selective detection o...

Hyperpolarization turns typically weak NMR and MRI responses into strong signals so that ordinarily impractical measurements become possible. The potential to revolutionize analytical NMR and clinical diagnosis through this approach reflect this area's most compelling outcomes. Methods to optimize the low-cost parahydrogen-based approach signal amplification by reversible exchange with studies on a series of biologically relevant nicotinamides and methyl nicotinates are detailed. These procedures involve specific 2 H labeling in both the agent and catalyst and achieve polarization lifetimes of ca. 2 min with 50% polarization in the case of methyl-4,6-d 2 -nicotinate. Because a 1.5-T hospital scanner has an effective 1 H polarization level of just 0.0005% this strategy should result in compressed detection times for chemically discerning measurements that probe disease. To demonstrate this technique's generality, we exemplify further studies on a range of pyridazine, pyrimidine, pyrazine, and isonicotinamide analogs that feature as building blocks in biochemistry and many disease-treating drugs.