NMR Primer: An HSQC-based Approach

This book has one aim: to explain the key two-dimensional protein NMR experiment, the 1H,15N-HSQC, along with variants and extensions, in a generally accessible manner. Vector diagrams of one-, two- and three-dimensional pulse sequences are provided, along with accompanying animated versions. The animations allow the evolution of net magnetisation during the course of the experiments to be visualised and directly compared with the corresponding spin operator terms.

First, a brief introduction to spins, populations, the NMR experiment and relaxation is provided. Evolution due to J-coupling is next described and used to explain magnetisation transfer in the HSQC experiment and several variants. The extraction of structural, sequential and dynamic information is then illustrated via various extensions of the HSQC. Extensive footnotes and appendices introduce several more advanced concepts, such as sensitivity enhancement and the TROSY effect.