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We show that at low concentrations (≤5 mM) TEMPONE radicals in liquid toluene exhibit higher DNP efficiency than in water. In spite of reduced coupling factors, the improved DNP performance in toluene results from favourable saturation and leakage factors, as determined by pulse electron-electron double resonance (ELDOR) and NMR relaxation, respectively. The extracted coupling factors at 0.35 Tesla support theoretical predictions of the Overhauser mechanism.

We propose the use of the pulse electron double resonance (ELDOR) method to determine the effective saturation factor of nitroxide radicals for dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) experiments in liquids. The obtained values for the nitroxide radical TEMPONE-D,(15)N at different concentrations are rationalized in terms of spin relaxation and are shown to fulfil the Overhauser theory.

A DNP set-up is described where a liquid sample is hyperpolarized by the electron-nucleus Overhauser effect in a field of 0.34 T and transferred to a field of 14.09 T for NMR detection. In contrast to a previous set-up, using two dedicated magnets for polarization and detection, a dedicated ferroshim system was inserted into the bore of a 14.09 T shielded cryomagnet to provide a homogeneous low-field region in the stray field above the magnetic center. After polarization in the low-field the sample is transferred to the high-field magnetic center within 40 ms by a pneumatic shuttle system. In our set-up a standard high-resolution inverse (1)H/(13)C selective probe was used for NMR detection and a homebuilt EPR cavity, operating in the TM(110) mode was used for polarisation. First experimental data are presented. We observed a maximum proton Overhauser enhancement of up to epsilon(HF) = -3.7 in the high-field position for a 5 mM 4-Oxo-TEMPO-D,(15)N (TEMPONE)/H(2)O sample. While this reproduces the DNP enhancement observed also in the old set-up, with the new set-up we observe enhancement on larger molecules that were impossible to enhance in the old set-up. Therefore, we can demonstrate for the first time Overhauser enhanced high resolution proton spectra of glucose and 2,2-dimethyl-2-silapentane-5-sulfonic acid sodium salt (DSS) in D(2)O, where the high resolution spectrum was acquired in the high-field position after polarizing the sample in the low-field.

Dynamic nuclear polarization is emerging as a potential tool to increase the sensitivity of NMR aiming at the detection of macromolecules in liquid solution. One possibility for such an experimental design is to perform the polarization step between electrons and nuclei at low magnetic fields and then transfer the sample to a higher field for NMR detection. In this case, an independent optimization of the polarizer and detection set ups is required. In the present paper we describe the optimization of a polarizer set up at 15 MHz (1)H NMR/9.7 GHz EPR frequencies based on commercial hardware. The sample consists of the nitroxide radical TEMPONE-D,(15)N in water, for which the dimensions were systematically decreased to fit the homogeneous B(1) region of a dielectric ENDOR resonator. With an available B(1) microwave field up to 13 G we observe a maximum DNP enhancement of -170 at room temperature by irradiating on either one of the EPR lines. The DNP enhancement was saturated at all polarizer concentrations. Pulsed ELDOR experiments revealed that the saturation level of the two hyperfine lines is such that the DNP enhancements are well consistent with the coupling factors derived from NMRD data. By raising the polarizing field and frequencies 10-fold, i.e. to 140 MHz (1)H/94 GHz EPR, we reach an enhancement of -43 at microwave field strengths (B(1) approximately 5 G). The results are discussed in view of an application for a DNP spectrometer.

Water (1)H relaxation rate measurements of (15)N-(2)H-TEMPONE solutions at temperatures ranging from 298 to 328 K have been performed as a function of magnetic field from 0.00023 to 9.4 T, corresponding to (1)H Larmor frequencies of 0.01 to 400 MHz. The relaxation profiles were analyzed according to the full theory for dipolar and contact relaxation, and used to estimate the coupling factor responsible for observed solution DNP effects. The experimental DNP enhancement at (1)H Larmor frequency of 15 MHz obtained by saturating one of the lines of the (15)N doublet is only ca. 20% lower than the limiting value predicted from the relaxation data, indicating that the experimental DNP setup is nearly optimal, the residual discrepancy arising from incomplete saturation of the other line.