The efficacy in 1H Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization in liquids at ultralow magnetic field (ULF, B0 = 92 ± 0.8 µT) and polarization field ( B p = 1–10 mT) was studied for a broad variety of 26 different spin probes. Among others, piperidine, pyrrolidine, and pyrroline radicals specifically synthesized for this study, along with some well-established commercially available nitroxides, were investigated. Isotope-substituted variants, some sterically shielded reduction-resistant nitroxides, and some biradicals were included in the measurements. The maximal achievable enhancement, Emax, and the radio frequency power, P1/2, needed for reaching Emax/2 were measured. Physico-chemical features such as molecular weight, spectral linewidth, heterocyclic structure, different types of substituents, deuteration, and 15N-labeling as well as the difference between monoradicals and biradicals were investigated. For the unmodified nitroxide radicals, the Emax values correlate with the molecular weight. The P1/2 values correlate with the spectral linewidth and are additionally influenced by the type of substituents neighboring the nitroxide group. The nitroxide biradicals with high intramolecular spin–spin coupling show low performance. Nitroxides enriched with 15N and/or 2H afford significantly higher | Emax| and require lower power to do so, compared to their unmodified counterparts containing at natural abundance predominantly 14N and 1H. The results allow for a correlation of chemical features with physical hyperpolarization-related properties and indicate that small nitroxides with narrow spectral lines have clear advantages for the use in Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization experiments. Perdeuteration and 15N-labeling can be used to additionally boost the spin probe performance.

Sterically shielded nitroxides of the pyrrolidine series have shown the highest resistance to reduction. Here we report the synthesis of new pyrrolidine nitroxides from 5,5-dialkyl-1-pyrroline N-oxides via the introduction of a pent-4-enyl group to the nitrone carbon followed by an intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction and isoxazolidine ring opening. The kinetics of reduction of the new nitroxides with ascorbate were studied and compared to those of previously published (1S,2R,3′S,4′S,5′S,2″R)-dispiro[(2-hydroxymethyl)cyclopentan-1,2′-(3′,4′-di-tert-butoxy)pyrrolidine-5′,1″-(2″-hydroxymethyl)cyclopentane]-1′-oxyl (1).

Site-directed spin labeling followed by investigation using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy is a rapidly expanding powerful biophysical technique to study structure, local dynamics and functions of biomolecules using pulsed EPR techniques and nitroxides are the most widely used spin labels. Modern trends of this method include measurements directly inside a living cell, as well as measurements without deep freezing (below 70 K), which provide information that is more consistent with the behavior of the molecules under study in natural conditions. Such studies require nitroxides, which are resistant to the action of biogenic reductants and have high spin relaxation (dephasing) times, Tm. (1R(S),5R(S),7R(S),8R(S))-1,8-bis(hydroxymethyl)-6-azadispiro[4.1.4.2]tridecane-6-oxyl is a unique nitroxide that combines these features. We have developed a convenient method for the synthesis of this radical and studied the ways of its functionalization. Promising spin labels have been obtained, the parameters of their spin relaxation T1 and Tm have been measured, and the kinetics of reduction with ascorbate have been studied.