Patent GB-1331847-A (GB)
Title: Method for recording spin resonance spectra and a spin resonance spectrometer suitable for this
IPC: G01N24/00
Filed: 1971-11-09
Abstract: 1331847 Nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers G LAUKIEN 9 Nov 1971 [11 Dec 1970] 51989/71 Heading G1N [Also in Division H2] In a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer for recording the spectra of macromolecules exhibiting many different chemical shifts, in which the sample is polarized in a polarizing magnetic field and all its nuclear magnetic resonance lines are excited simultaneously by a short high frequency pulse to produce a free precession interferogram which is Fourier analyzed into its component frequencies, a high intensity pulsed measuring magnetic field is superimposed on the polarizing magnetic field during the time that the interferogram is being recorded after the h.f. pulse. Thus, a higher magnetic field, with correspondingly greater chemical shifts, can be used than is possible with a continuous magnetic field. The measuring magnetic field is produced by an air-cored electro-magnet and the polarizing magnetic field may be produced by a ferro-magnet, cryo-magnet or the air-cored magnet. In Fig. 1 a pulse generator 20 controls the application of a short pulse of high frequency energy from oscillators 13 and 22 to excite the analysis spectrum and a reference frequency respectively in the sample 6, and the subsequent application of a current pulse from source 19 to the air-core magnet coils 3. The analysis and reference signals are amplified in selective amplifiers 11, 26. The reference signal is converted into a constant amplitude signal either by a feedback circuit 29 or a limiter (not shown) and converted in a divider and multiplier stage 15 to bring its frequency as near as possible to that of the interferogram signal with which it is mixed in a phase detector 12. The difference signal passes through a low pass filter 16 to a memory 21 which also receives a start signal from the pulse generator 20. When all the required information is stored a pulse is sent from the memory 21 to the pulse generator 20 to terminate the current pulse in magnet coils 3. The output of the memory 21 is connected to a Fourier transformer 24 connected to a recorder 28.  If it is desired to accumulate several interferograms to improve the signal-to-noise ratio by averaging, the frequencies of oscillators 13, 22 should be whole number multiples of a common basic frequency. The same ratio is produced by circuit 15 or the repetition frequency of the measuring processes could be a subharmonic of the basic frequency. To achieve this, a basic oscillator (31), Fig. 3 (not shown), two multipliers (30, 33) and a divider (32) can be used to generate three signals having the required frequency relationship. An alternative spectrometer, Fig.4 (not shown) has only an air-core magnet which is fed with continuous current to provide the polarizing field and with pulses of current to provide the measuring field. A separate reference sample is used and the same oscillator (113) supplies the h.f. pulses to both samples, obviating circuit 15. The current for the measuring magnetic field may be generated by sequentially discharging a bank of capacitors through controlled resistances, Fig. 5 (not shown).