How to run a 2H experiment

If you want to investigate the structure and behaviors of deuterium in your molecules, 2H NMR is a good method. The chemical shift of 2H is very similar to that of 1H as both nuclei experience the same electron environments. The resolution is also often as good as that for 1H.

Follow these steps:

  1. Type edc. In Experiment, choose H2. Check getprosol box. Create a new file for 2H experiment.
  2. Type rsh shims.best
  3. If your sample is dissolved in a deuterated solvent, do the regular lock and shim
  4. If your sample is not in a deuterated solvent, type ii. This will stop the locking mechanism from interfering with your 2H experiment. Often, your spectral resolution is already good enough so that you do not need to further shim. If you need high resolution, you will need to manually shim on the FID: Type gs (similar to zg but without accumulating data, used for real time adjustment of various parameters), then adjust z and z2 in bsmsdisp window to make the FID as long and thick as possible.
  5. Type atma
  6. Type rga
  7. Run your experiment. Adjust d1, ns, and lb as needed.