University Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center

The NMR Facility at Stony Brook University is housed in the Department of Chemistry and is currently composed of 5 superconducting magnet NMR instruments operating at 600 MHz, 500 MHz, 400 MHz, 300 MHz, and 250 MHz proton frequencies. These instruments are capable of a wide variety of liquids, imaging, and solids NMR experiments and are dedicated to supporting research programs across multiple disciplines, but are largely focused towards programs in structural biology and chemistry. The 600 MHz, 500 MHz, two 400 MHz, and 300 MHz instruments are Varian Inc. NMR instruments. The 250 MHz instrument is an A/C vintage Bruker instrument that has been modified with a Techmag computer console replacement.. The 600 MHz, 500 MHz, and both 400 MHz NMR instruments are state of the art research grade multi channel and multi nuclear pulsed field gradient instruments with Varian Unity Inova RF consoles. The 300 MHz Varian instrument operates with a Gemini 2300 console and is also a gradient console. The 250 MHz NMR instrument is a straightforward multinuclear NMR instrument without gradients but is capable of inverse detection experiments.

The 600 MHz and one of the 400 MHz instruments have mixed capabilities for liquids, solids, and microimaging experiments. The 500 MHz, remaining 400 MHz, and 300 MHz instruments support only liquids experiments with an automated Zymark robotic sample changer available at 400 MHz for potential unattended 24 hour operation. All of the systems are narrow bore instruments with the exception of the mixed solids and imaging 400 MHz spectrometer, which has an 89-mm wide-bore magnet system. All instruments are capable of variable temperature operation. The 600 MHz instrument is optimized for use with liquid state protein and oligonucleotide samples but can operate in the solids mode with 3.2-mm samples and in an imaging mode at 5-mm with low xyz gradient strengths. The 500 MHz and 400 MHz liquids spectrometers are optimized for synthetic organic and smaller protein and oligonucleotide samples. The 250 MHz and 300 MHz instruments are dedicated to routine experiments and operation. More detailed information on the experimental capabilities of these instruments are available on the SUNY Stony Brook NMR Facility web page.

The NMR Facility provides both routine and research NMR services to either internal University users or external clients. Instrument time and facility services are available in a mix of several walk on self service modes with automated sample delivery available at 400 MHz. In addition, services are available on a more formal long-term basis to support programmed research needs and collaboration between all users, the facility, and staff are encouraged. One full time NMR coordinator and part time staff member are permanently available at the facility and one part-time graduate assistant is also available to support the operation of the facility. Francis Picart is the NMR Facility Coordinator, and Dr. James Maracek is the part-time staff member. Ying Li is the current graduate student assistant.

Initial training to internal graduate students is provided mainly through the graduate chemistry course 501 but is also available on an as-needed one-on-one basis. Several mini training courses and special topics seminars are available to new and advanced users through out the year to help qualify users to operate the instruments and advance their knowledge of NMR spectroscopy applications and experimental techniques.

Scheduling of NMR time is done at a weekly scheduling meeting at 1:00 PM in the basement NMR suite. Unscheduled time is available to users who did not attend the scheduling meeting on a first-come-first-serve basis. All scheduling must be posted to the web-based FACES NMR scheduling system through the account of the person intending to use the time.

All costs for NMR times are fixed by NMR Committee policy. Effective May 1, 2007 the NMR rate will be $30/ hr for incubator tenants and nonprofit organizations and $60/hr for non-affiliated companies. The RF user rate will remain $10/hr, but may need to increase in the near future. The costs are the same independent of the instrument or field strength used or the nature and complexity of the experiment. Unless special arrangements have been made all samples are run directly by the end users. Requests for samples to be run by NMR Facility personel are considered but additional charges can apply and scheduling is dependent on the availability of staff time as well as instrument availability.

A statement of the terms and policies that govern the NMR Facility and its mission are available through the link to the policy statement on the NMR Facility web page. A hard copy of the policy is on file in the main Chemistry Office in the Chemistry Building or by directly contacting the NMR Coordinator at