Soild NMR Services

About Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

The vast majority of NMR samples are studied in the liquid-state where solid samples are dissolved in the appropriate deuterated solvent. If your sample is appreciably soluble in a common solvent, you will likely want to study your sample using liquid-state NMR spectroscopy.

For samples that are not soluble in any known solvents or whose structure changes drastically when dissolved in solution then solid-state NMR spectroscopy can be used to characterize your sample. In comparison to liquid-state NMR spectroscopy, these are the major differences:

  • The resolution of solid-state NMR is inferior to that of liquid-state NMR. For nuclei other than H-1, solid-state NMR peaks are generally at least 10 times broader than liquid-state NMR peaks.
  • H-1 NMR spectra of solid organic samples are generally composed of broad, featureless peaks and usually provide no useable information.
  • The sensitivity of solid-state NMR is also inferior to that of liquid-state NMR. As a result, solid-state NMR experiments generally take a minimum of a few hours and at least 50mg of sample is required.
  • In general paramagnetic samples give better solid-state NMR spectra than liquid-state NMR spectra; however, the NMR is still much more complicated than that of diamagnetic sample and often no NMR signal is obtained.
  • Solid-state NMR can provide information about the symmetry of your molecule and the distance between certain atoms within your molecule.

Services Provided

Depending on your experience using NMR spectroscopy as a means of structural characterization, the NMR facility can perform a variety of functions. For experienced users, staff generally just acquire the NMR data and provide the raw NMR data. For novice users, staff can also process and completely analyze the NMR spectra. For all service work, a report summarizing the NMR experiments performed and the experimental conditions utilized are included. The turn-around time for your will vary considerably depending on the experiments required and the number of samples. Typically a few weeks is required before NMR experiments can begin.

The NMR facility can perform the following solid-state NMR experiments:

  • Experiments can be performed using magic-angle spinning (MAS), up to a maximum spinning rate of 25 kHz, or on stationary samples.
  • 1D NMR experiments can be performed on a huge variety of spin-1/2 and quadrupolar nuclei such as B-11, C-13, F-19, Al-27, Si-29, P-31, and many more nuclei.
  • 2D experiments such as MQMAS, REDOR, TRAPDOR.
  • Any of the above experiments can also be performed above room-temperature, up to a maximum of +250 °C, or below room-temperature, down a minimum of -120 °C.

The NMR facility will perform or help with the following tasks:

  • Packing solid-state NMR samples.
  • Acquisition of solid-state NMR data.
  • Processing of the solid-state NMR data into an NMR spectrum.
  • Analysis of the solid-state NMR spectra, including integration, peak picking, peak assignments, and/or simulations where applicable.
  • Interpretation of 1D and 2D solid-state NMR spectra.

External Service Rates

The rates for solid-state NMR service can be found in the table below. Unless otherwise specified, the prices are per sample, are in Canadian dollars, and are effective until April 30, 2014. If desired, one can also download the Solids NMR Service Rates in a PDF file.

1D NMR Experiments Rates

User Rates
Rates for Solid-State NMR Service
1D NMR Experiments
Experiment Academia /
Not for Profits
Industry Comments
Standard 1D $75 $120 Includes 13C, 19F, 27Al, 29Si, and 31P; either 1-pulse or CP. Charge per experiment per temperature. NMR experiments can be performed on nuclei other than those listed; prices will be provided upon request.
T1 TBD TBD Charge depends on the compounds and nucleus of interest.
T2 TBD TBD Charge depends on the compounds and nucleus of interest.
REDOR TBD TBD Charge depends on the compounds and nuclei of interest.
TRAPDOR TBD TBD Charge depends on the compounds and nuclei of interest.

2D NMR Experiments Rates

User Rates for Solid-State NRM Service
Rates for Solid-State NMR Service
2D NMR Experiments
Experiment Academia /
Not for Profits
Industry Comments
MQMAS TBD TBD Charge depends on the compounds and nuclei of interest.
HETCOR TBD TBD Charge depends on the compounds and nuclei of interest.
Processing and Analysis
Basic analysis $15 $25 Includes electronic PDF plots with peak picking and integration (if applicable).
Interpretation $50/hour $100/hour Charge for NMR facility staff to provide an interpretation of the NMR spectra, spectral assignments and a written report explaining the interpretation.

Sample Submission Procedures

For Western Personnel

The following procedure should be used when submitting a sample for service work:

  1. Contact NMR facility staff via e-mail at chemnmr@uwo.ca or phone at 519-661-2111 x. 82905 to discuss what information you are looking to obtain by using solid-state NMR, the nature of your sample and what services are required.

  2. Fill out and print the Solid-State NMR Service Request - Western Personnel form. Note that the form is a fillable PDF form that can be filled out electronically.

  3. Bring at least 50mg of sample in a screw-top vial and the completed sample submission form to the NMR facility.

  4. NMR data will generally be acquired within 4 weeks of sample receipt and will be sent via e-mail. The sample report will generally be sent via e-mail about 1 week after the data has been acquired and processed.

  5. Charges will be applied directly to the PI's account using speedcode specified on the Service Request form at the end of the month in which the NMR spectra were acquired.

For External Clients (Non-Western Personnel)

The following procedure should be used when submitting a sample for service work:

  1. Contact NMR facility staff via e-mail at chemnmr@uwo.ca or phone at 519-661-2111 x. 82905 to discuss what information you are looking to obtain by using solid-state NMR, the nature of your sample, and what services are required.

  2. Fill out and print the Solid-State NMR Service Request - External Clients form. Note that the form is a fillable PDF form that can be filled out electronically.

  3. Ring at least 50mg of sample in a screw-top vial and the completed sample submission form to the NMR facility. Alternately the sample can be mailed, along with the completed sample submission form, to:

Mathew Willans
Western University
1151 Richmond St. N.
Department of Chemistry
Dock 003, Room 11
London, ON
N6A 5B7

  1. NMR data will generally be acquired within 4 weeks of sample receipt and will be sent via e-mail. The sample report will generally be sent via e-mail about 1 week after the data has been acquired and processed.

  2. An invoice for services rendered will be generated by Sherrie McPhee in ChemBioStores and sent via mail. Only once the invoice is received is payment required.