The nitrogen nucleus is the third most important probe (after ' H and I3C) for structural investigations of organic and bioorganic molecules by NMR spectroscopy. For a long time, however, the insufficient sensitivity and low natural abundance of the I5N isotope hampered detection of the I5N nucleus, and the quadrupolar I4N nucleus proved unsuitable for the study of larger molecules with several nonequivalent nitrogen atoms. The advent of new techniques, such as pulse sequences and polarization transfer, in conjunction with the use of high-field magnets and large-sample probe heads largely solved the detection problem. As a result, the last few years have seen a dramatic development of "N-NMR spectroscopy as a versatile method for studying molecular structure, both in isotropic (liquid) and anisotropic (solid) phases. The scope of chemical applications extends from inorganic, organometallic, and organic chemistry to biochemistry and molecular biology, and includes the study of reactive intermediates, biopolymers, enzyme-inhibitor complexes, and nitrogen metabolism. Two-dimensional NMR techniques offer additional possibilities for detailed studies of biological systems.
Pages 383-486Angew Chem. Inr. Ed. Engl. 25 (1986) 383-413 0 VCH Verlagsgesellschajl mbH. 0-6940 Weinheim. 1986 0S70-0833/86/05~15-0383 . $ 02.50/0 Anyen, Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 25 (1986) 383-413