University of Oxford
NMR Facility
Chemistry Department NMR Research Facility
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Open-access

For access to the CRL NMR facilities, you must register as a user and attend either an organic or inorganic NMR induction. See here for more information on how to register and attend a training session. The open-access facilities provide rapid access to routine 1D and 2D spectra primarily involving 1H, 13C, 19F, and 31P nuclei. They are geared towards fast turnover and hence rapid sample throughput. Samples requiring more complex analysis, or especially dilute samples, should be submitted to the NMR service (or you may be trained to do it yourself in hands-on mode). The NMR Open Access Training and NMR Service Submission 2025/2026 slides can be viewed here.

Open-access NMR Rules

There are a number of rules in place regarding use of the open access NMR spectrometers to ensure correct usage, the safety of users and fairness to all users.

  • No more than three samples at a time.
  • If queuing more than three samples, you must leave three space after every third sample.
  • Make sure your tube fits the blue/green/white spinner. If it is loose, try another one.
  • If it is loose on all spinners, get rid of the tube.
  • Ensure you are correctly labelling your NMR tube and use your group's assigned cap colour. Guidance of this is available in the open access NMR labs or from the NMR staff.

Safety based rules

  • Do not use short/broken/poor quality tubes.
    • Experience has shown that these are the tubes that will break in the machine, causing considerable down time. Staff regularly check and any poor-quality tubes are removed.
  • No lab coat, lab gloves or metal objects to be taken into the NMR labs.
  • Sample breakages must be dealt with immediately.
    • If the breakage is in or on the spectrometer, the NMR staff must be informed immediately.

If you believe other users are not adhering to the NMR rules, please inform the NMR staff so we can investigate.

Open-access spectrometers

The open-access setup comprises the following spectrometers. To view any of the history lists, copy and paste the link into a web browser (due to security reasons these cannot be hyperlinked); note that you will need to use a departmental login / VPN. Detailed information about all spectrometers can be viewed here. The live feed of NMR open-access queues can be viewed here. Note if the live feed does not update, clear your browser history and re-open the website. This is a temporary problem and will be fixed shortly. Open Access NMR spectrometers: The AVG400 (ground floor), AVH400 (ground floor) and AVF400 (first-floor) operates automatically and provides quick 1H, 1H-1H COSY, 11B, 19F, 27Al and 31P NMR spectra during the day (8am - 8pm) as well as HSQC, HMBC, NOESY and 13C experiments overnight. When idle, the HSQC and 13C experiments will run during the day. The Hg400 and Venus400 (both second floor) operates automatically and provides quick 1H, 7Li, 11B, 19F, 27Na, 27Al, 31P, and COSY experiments during the day (8 am-8 pm), and additionally, HMBC experiments overnight. The autosampler accepts both normal and Young's tap NMR tubes, providing the tubes do not exceed 8 inches. The DPX200 (first floor) acquires spectra automatically but with manual sample insertion; it only provides 1D 1H NMR spectra.