¹H NMR with Partial Transition Selectivity

¹H NMR has unique strengths, owing, for one, to ¹H being the most sensitive NMR nucleus. However, the limited frequency range of ¹H chemical shifts implies spectral crowding, leading to difficulties in assignment and interpretation of the spectra. Homonuclear broadband decoupling has been developed as a means of simplifying ¹H NMR spectra but clearly leads to the inevitable and complete loss of precious information on homonuclear scalar couplings in solution state. A novel experiment is introduced in this work, which leads to partial ¹H multiplet selectivity, thereby reducing spectral crowding, while at the same time permitting couplings to be inferred. The present one-dimensional (1D) experiment relies on two-way coherence transfer starting from ¹H to coupled ¹³C carbons at natural abundance and ending finally with ¹H detection. The experiment may be termed CArbon Single transition EDited (CASED) ¹H NMR. The unusual spectral patterns that result are summarized, demonstrated, and rationalized for various molecular fragments. Artifacts in the present version of the CASED experiment are also described, and an application to the ¹H NMR of a disaccharide is demonstrated as a first practical example.