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A Nuclear Singlet Lifetime of More than One Hour in Room‐Temperature Solution
Author(s) -
Stevanato Gabriele,
HillCousins Joseph T.,
Håkansson Pär,
Roy Soumya Singha,
Brown Lynda J.,
Brown Richard C. D.,
Pileio Giuseppe,
Levitt Malcolm H.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201411978
Subject(s) - hyperpolarization (physics) , singlet state , chemistry , nuclear magnetic resonance , time constant , magnetization transfer , spin (aerodynamics) , nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy , physics , magnetic resonance imaging , atomic physics , excited state , thermodynamics , medicine , radiology , electrical engineering , engineering
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are supremely important techniques with numerous applications in almost all branches of science. However, until recently, NMR methodology was limited by the time constant T 1 for the decay of nuclear spin magnetization through contact with the thermal molecular environment. Long‐lived states, which are correlated quantum states of multiple nuclei, have decay time constants that may exceed T 1 by large factors. Here we demonstrate a nuclear long‐lived state comprising two 13 C nuclei with a lifetime exceeding one hour in room‐temperature solution, which is around 50 times longer than T 1 . This behavior is well‐predicted by a combination of quantum theory, molecular dynamics, and quantum chemistry. Such ultra‐long‐lived states are expected to be useful for the transport and application of nuclear hyperpolarization, which leads to NMR and MRI signals enhanced by up to five orders of magnitude.