At the end of the course, students should have a profound understanding of:

·         NMR and its applications in life sciences;

·         the range of samples that can be studies by either solution or solid-state NMR;

·         the relation between NMR parameters and moelcular structure and dynamics.

 

 

After completing the course the student is able to:

·         describe and identify the different elements of an NMR experiment (solution and solid-state);

·         describe the underlying concept of the product operator formalism;

·         use the product operator formalism to analyze solution-state NMR experiments;

·         describe how high-resolution spectra of solids can be obtained;

·         describe the diverse methods of sensitivity improvement;

The nuclear spin is the ultimate spy. Nuclear magnetic resonance exploits the spin’s special properties to study molecular structure and dynamics in a non-invasive way. Key herein is control over the state of the spin. But how do you exercise such control? How do you exploit such control to extract information on the molecule’s structure and motions?

 

This course will cover the principles of both solid and solution-state NMR and its application to biomolecules. Emphasis will be on a conceptual and practical understanding of NMR theory and its application to current challenges in structural biology.

 

The course will consist of lectures, exercises, a paper presentation, a computer practical and a practical at the NMR machine (depending on the number of students). The paper presentation will count 20% and the exam 80% towards the final grade.

 

The course is scheduled to last two-weeks with no lectures on Mondays. The first week covers solution-NMR, the second week solid-state NMR. The students will also study an paper which they present towards the end of the course.