Hands on

Hands-on NMR Services

In addition to the open-access automated instruments that provide routine access to standard experiments, it is possible for researchers to become trained to operate instruments manually, in so-called "hands-on" mode. This provides for greater flexibility in experiment set-up and run times, and provides a greater understanding of how NMR spectrometers operate. Examples where use of the bookable instruments can be necessary include working with sample temperatures away from ambient, with unstable or more dilute samples, when more advanced techniques are required or where reaction kinetics are to be followed.

Anyone wishing to use these facilities must be trained by a member of the NMR staff in the first instance. All enquiries should be made to the NMR staff mailing list (nmrstaff@maillist.chem.ox.ac.uk). All bookable instruments are housed in the high-field basement NMR laboratory of the CRL. These range in field from 400 to 700 MHz and have wide-ranging capability between them; see our Instrumentation pages for more details. Instruments in the basement NMR lab can be reserved through an online booking system and used in ‘hands-on’ mode for manual or automated operation.

Spectrometer Booking Rules

General rules for all hands on spectrometers

  • The hands-on instruments are available only to users who have been trained by a member of the NMR staff (email nmrstaff@maillist.chem.ox.ac.uk for training requests).
  • Bookings must be made under your own name and SSO, and are for your use only. It is not permitted to book time under your name for another user.
  • If there is free instrument time but you have already booked your allotted timeslots, please contact the NMR staff to book this time.
  • If you have requirements that exceed these restrictions, you must arrange this with a member of the NMR staff.
  • If you do not turn up within 15 minutes of the start of your booked slot then you forfeit the entire booking and anybody else can then use the time.
  • Once your booking is finished, IconNMR (automation software) should be restarted unless arranged with the next user.
  • Bookings will be checked weekly and any bookings breaking these rules will be deleted. Repeat offenders may find their booking privileges have been revoked.

400-500 MHz Spectrometer Booking Rules

Please ensure you are also adhering to the 'general hands on booking rules' stated above.

  • Bookings are made in multiples of 15-minute slots.
  • Daytime is 8 am - 8 pm Monday to Friday, during which you may book up to a maximum of 3 hours per day in a single session.
  • Overnight bookings are 8pm – 8 am.
  • It is acceptable for a daytime booking to directly precede an overnight booking (e.g. to book 5 pm to 8 pm, followed by 8 pm to 8 am).
  • You are only allowed to book one overnight slot and one daytime slot at any time on any one spectrometer.
  • Each day (8 am to 8 pm) on Saturday and Sunday counts as an overnight slot for booking.
  • VT experiments should only be run during normal hours and by VT trained users only. You must allow time within your booked slot for the temperature to return back to 298 K and for the system to stabilise.
  • No-one is permitted into the NMR labs during ‘buildings closed’ hours (midnight to 6am). If booking a partial overnight slot, experiments must be submitted using IconNMR to allow the next user to queue their experiments before building closure.

600-700 MHz Spectrometer Booking Rules

Please ensure you are also adhering to the 'general hands on booking rules' stated above.

  • Access to the AV600 and AV700 is granted by NMR staff, primarily for research projects in Chemical Biology or metabolomics.
  • Instrument reservations can be for up to two weeks ahead from the day on which the booking is made.
  • Booking may be of any length, but are limited to a maximum of 24 hours total per instrument per week for any one user.
  • No VT experiments are allowed on either the 600 or 700 MHz spectrometer.

 

Rules are current as of the 2nd March 2026.