Bruker launches novel AVANCE III HD NMR spectrometer

At the Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Conference (ENC) 2012, Bruker introduces the novel AVANCE III HD NMR spectrometer. Thanks to its new digital RF synthesizer, further enhanced receiver electronics, redesigned preamplifiers, extended Digital Lock™ and SmartVT™ capabilities, Bruker now has further enhanced the most sensitive and most accurate, highest performance NMR spectrometer on the market today, bringing High Definition (HD) technology to AVANCE NMR users.

The AVANCE III HD spectrometer benefits from a next-generation RF synthesizer with significantly increased digital integration, incorporating a lower phase noise local oscillator (LO) and a high speed DA converter running at 960 MHz. This enables extended digital RF power settings up to NMR frequencies of 1.2 GHz. Together with the new high dynamic range and high sensitivity preamplifiers, the AVANCE III HD demonstrates improved spectral purity, fully exploits the increased sensitivity of the latest NMR probe technology and enables sensitivity improvements of up to 30% for the most demanding applications. These include experiments on bio-molecular samples in buffers or detergents, metabolic beverage analysis for food safety and quality, and trace analysis such as impurity detection in drugs and other pharmaceutical compounds.

With the new AVANCE III HD preamplifiers and the new GaAs FET-based broad-band technology, solid-state NMR applications in particular will directly benefit from up to a 20% increase in sensitivity on 13C and other X nuclei. A novel impedance matching technology ensures solids spectra with excellent symmetry, and the active, fast high power transmit/receive switch guarantees maximum linearity even at the lowest power levels. The AVANCE III HD now provides solid-state NMR researchers with access to fully broad-banded capacities and easier daily routine operation without the need for manual interaction. A touch-screen display enables high-definition tuning and matching of the system and monitoring of the probe status.

With the revolutionary NMR Thermometer™ for the first time, the measurement of the exact internal sample temperature by NMR itself is possible. This is achieved fully automatically through the measurement of the chemical shift difference between two deuterium resonances, rather than relying on inaccurate external thermocouples. While one deuterium signal is used for field stabilization, the chemical shift difference to the second signal is used together with the SmartVT™ to both measure and maintain a constant temperature within the sample. Based on the measurement of the actual sample temperature, the NMR Thermometer™ now offers the possibility of up to 50% times faster on-line regulation of sample temperature, more efficient compensation for heating effects caused by RF pulse sequences, or by sample spinning in MAS experiments. This results in an immediate improvement in the accuracy and precision of the acquired signal frequencies by up to a factor 5, delivering improved accuracy in the assignment of resonances, especially in solid-state, and 2D/3D/4D protein and biomolecular NMR applications.

"With our unsurpassed commitment to innovation and to bringing the latest technology to the field of NMR, the new AVANCE III HD spectrometer once again offers enabling R&D innovations and performance breakthroughs from our R&D centers and key customer collaborations to all NMR customers," said Dr. Frank Laukien, Bruker's President and CEO.