Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a sophisticated and powerful yet non-destructive technique that employs strong magnetic fields and radiofrequencies to reveal the structural and dynamic characteristics of materials at the molecular level.
The facility supports teaching and research staff and students in the School of Science and is also available for collaborative projects across RMIT.
The NMR facility supports a variety of applications in many disciplines of scientific research, medicine, and various industries.
Structure determination of a range of biomolecules (e.g. metabolites and proteins)
Particularly for organic synthesis chemistry
Comprehensive research on naturally occurring chemical compounds and substances.
Investigation of structure, properties and processing of food materials.
Many other possible applications exist from the study of bio-molecular systems and structural biology to geological and environmental science applications.
Most NMR facilities offer either liquid state NMR spectroscopy or solid state NMR spectroscopy and, rarely, time domain NMR. The NMR instrumentation and staff expertise in various complementary branches of NMR make the RMIT facility uniquely suited to the exploration of complex systems that are resistant to other means of analysis.
Our instruments cover the range from low-field NMR (Minispec mq20 spectrometer) to (relatively) high-field (Bruker 300MHz Avance III and Agilent/Varian 500MHz DD2 spectrometers).
Designed to investigate the time domain NMR characteristics of liquid, solid and gaseous state materials. These characteristics reveal the dynamic properties of, and interactions between, atoms and molecules in a sample.
It is especially useful for investigating components of differing mobility’s in mixtures ranging from food-stuffs to polymer blends to ionic liquids to geological samples.
Designed for walk-up routine molecular structural analysis, via proton and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, of organic compounds in solution.
It is heavily used by synthetic organic chemists in the STEM College.
Equipped for multinuclear analysis of solutions, for solid state analysis of organic solids, and for LC-NMR spectroscopy. It is used by materials chemists, environmental scientists, natural product chemists and those who pursue metabolomics.
When coupled with the ProStar HPLC the set up has the ability to separate components within a sample in situ. This is the preferred NMR technique for components which are unstable to light, air, time or the environment. It is particularly useful for the structural identification of natural products.
Standard opening times are 9.30 am - 5.00 pm Monday to Friday.
Some experiments may be left running overnight.
Users must register and be trained before booking time on instruments in advance. Please contact the relevant NMR steering committee member depending on your area of interest.
If you can't use your booking, please cancel it as soon as possible to allow others use the instruments.
Access to is free to School of Science research staff and students. Costs for other users will be on a cost recovery model depending on the number of samples and the amount of time needed.
Address: RMIT Building 3, level 1 room 5, 124 La Trobe Street Melbourne 3000.
To access the RMIT NMR facility, please contact the facility manager Dr Kyle Hearn (kyle.hearn@rmit.edu.au).
Our cutting-edge facilities represent our commitment to developing world-class learning, teaching, training and research spaces.
Our researchers connect, create and share expertise and resources in our Research Centres and collaborations.
Together with our partners we develop and apply knowledge to shape a better world.
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.
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