Solvent-localized NMR spectroscopy using the distant dipolar field: A method for NMR separations with a single gradient

Solvent-localized NMR (SOLO) is a new method which allows the separation of NMR spectra of substances dissolved in different solvents. It uses the selective HOMOGENIZED pulse sequence to produce a two-dimensional NMR spectrum resulting from intermolecular zero-quantum coherences in one distinct solvent. The detected signal is locally refocused by the action of the distant dipolar field, which is created by a frequency selective pulse only in regions containing the selected solvent. The prerequisites are that the different solvents have sufficiently different chemical shifts to be excited separately and that compartments with different solvents are spatially separated by more than the typical diffusion distance. Here, the method is demonstrated for the solvents water and DMSO on a length scale of 0.5 mm. Because signal in the spectra is refocused locally, SOLO is insensitive to variations in the magnetic field which may result from inhomogeneities or structures in the sample. This makes applications in strongly structured samples possible. SOLO is the first method that achieves localization of NMR signal with a single gradient pulse. Therefore, it can be used in conventional NMR spectrometers with one-axis gradient systems and lends itself to a wide range of applications including in vivo NMR.