Detecting Organic Nitrogen with 1H-15N HMBC Spectra

NMR spectroscopy has been the most important tool for organic chemistry research, providing detailed structure information. While 1H and 13C NMR spectra were frequently measured, 15N NMR spectra were relatively rare, even though nitrogen is commonly observed in organic molecules. This is due to the low gyromagnetic ratio and nature abundance. Usually 15N NMR spectra are observed when the sample is in very high concentration or the nitrogen is enriched with 15N isotope. HMBC is one of the 2D NMR techniques, measuring the through-bond correlations inside a molecule. 1H-15N HMBC actually collects a series of measurements of 1H NMR spectra with 15N information. Therefore, HMBC could get stronger signals than 15N signals and provide the opportunity for the indirect measurement of 15N signals.