quick look

Iowa State University’s Aaron Rossini has developed solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to help design better drugs, catalysts, and semiconductors. He was just part of a national committee explaining how NMR tools are “the cornerstone of modern research.”

AMES, Iowa – A small solid drug sample containing active and inactive ingredients is rotated at 50,000 revolutions per second while tilted at a “magic angle” of nearly 55 degrees to a high magnetic field.

Special equipment at the National Magnetic Resonance Facility at the University of Wisconsin-Madison generated all the rotations and angles that allowed researchers to examine the sample’s nuclei. The real-time results appeared as a blue line on Aaron Rossini’s desktop computer, some 440 miles away. chemistry Professor at Iowa State University and Scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy Ames National Laboratory.

The blue line showed several peaks with different intensities and locations. The positions of these peaks provided clues about the structure of the solid drug and helped pinpoint the locations of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen atoms.

The solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy developed by Rossini and his research group could help solve “persistent challenges in the pharmaceutical industry,” according to Rossini’s project summary. It is “successful formulation design for administering active pharmaceutical ingredients.”

Rossini shared his NMR expertise during his talk. panel discussion on “Pioneering the Frontiers of Magnetic Imaging and Spectroscopy” at last week’s American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting.

What is an NMR device?

Down the hall from Rossini’s basement office in Hach Hall is a device that looks like a giant version of the propane tank you find under your home grill. Rossini’s chariot stands several feet off the ground on three thick, sturdy legs. The cable runs underneath. Pipes and tubes extend from the top.

It’s very, very cold inside – minus 450 degrees Fahrenheit, just a few degrees above absolute zero. An outer layer of liquid nitrogen and an inner layer of liquid helium provide the cold air. In the center is a superconducting magnet that conducts electricity without resistance and exposes the sample to a strong magnetic field.

In Rossini’s lab, the instrument’s magnet is rated at 9.4 Tesla. It is the size, power, and capabilities that make it widely used in chemistry laboratories to study and determine atomic-level structures.

Several specialized laboratories around the country, such as the Madison Laboratory and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (“Mag Lab”) in Tallahassee, Florida, have equipment with stronger magnets. For example, MagLab has $18.7 million worth of equipment valued at 35 Tesla. Researchers from around the country, including Rossini, have set aside time at national laboratories for some experiments.

“Magnetic Moment”

Mr. Rossini spoke from his office in Hach Hall, stopping periodically to draw diagrams of molecules and their bonds on the backs of envelopes, and frequently referring to the “magnetic moments” of atoms that NMR studies.

The magnetic field of the NMR machine adjusts the position of the atomic nucleus. The radio pulses then shift the positions of the atomic nuclei, changing them from lower to higher energies, and the device records the differences.

The data is returned as peaks collected by Rossini from Madison’s experiment, for example.

National lecture on NMR techniques

In a recent talk hosted by Laura Green, chief scientist at MagLab and a professor of physics at Florida State University, Rossini said: “Solving the periodic table with NMR”

His message is: “Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy can be applied to determine the atomic-level structure of materials such as heterogeneous catalysts, next-generation semiconductors, and formulated solid-state pharmaceuticals.”

Does any of this apply to your daily life?

I agree. According to a summary of the panel discussion, NMR tools are “the cornerstone of modern research in drug discovery, sustainable energy materials, and quantum systems.”

study the ingredients of medicines

Rossini leads with a new three-year total of $492,000. study of structure Analysis of active pharmaceutical ingredients and commercially available drugs. The National Science Foundation supported this research.

The first part of the research is to develop new methods to improve the sensitivity and resolution of NMR data. Graduate and undergraduate students participate in this project and learn to prepare drug samples, conduct NMR experiments, and computer model atomic structures.

When describing his work, Rossini said: 2024 report “Current Status and Future Directions of High Magnetic Field Science and Technology in the United States” by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

One of the key conclusions is that “the United States needs to reestablish a level of support for cutting-edge NMR research that will enable U.S. laboratories to regain leadership status in the field of NMR-based research.”

This means more instruments are producing ultra-high magnetic fields that increase resolution and improve the data collected.

“The NMR signal is very wide-ranging,” Rossini said. “Some of our research requires these very high magnetic fields to improve resolution and sensitivity. These capabilities allow us to study NMR signals from elements such as oxygen and nitrogen that are difficult to study with low-field instruments. Ultimately, this will help chemists design better materials and pharmaceutical companies design improved formulations.”