Ceramic cells for high pressure NMR spectroscopy of proteins

• Published in: Journal of magnetic resonance (1997) Vol. 204; no. 2; pp. 196 - 199
• Main Authors: Erlach, Markus Beck, Munte, Claudia E., Kremer, Werner, Hartl, Rainer, Rochelt, Dörte, Niesner, Dieter, Kalbitzer, Hans Robert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2010
• Subjects: Autoclaves; Ceramic cell; Ceramics; Ceramics - chemistry; Emergencies; Equipment Design; Equipment Failure Analysis; High pressure; Macromolecules; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy - instrumentation; NMR spectroscopy; Pressure; Proteins; Proteins - analysis; Proteins - chemistry; Specific volume; Specimen Handling - instrumentation; Zirconium dioxide; Proteins; NMR spectroscopy; Ceramic cell; High pressure
• ISSN: 1090-7807; 1096-0856
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2010.02.011

Application of high pressure to biological macromolecules can be used to find new structural states with a smaller specific volume of the system. High pressure NMR spectroscopy is a most promising analytical tool for the study of these states at atomic resolution. High pressure quartz cells are difficult to handle, high quality sapphire high pressure cells are difficult to obtain commercially. In this work, we describe the use of high pressure ceramic cells produced from yttrium stabilized ZrO 2 that are capable of resisting pressures up to 200 MPa. Since the new cells should also be usable in the easily damageable cryoprobes a completely new autoclave for these cells has been constructed, including an improved method for pressure transmission, an integrated safety jacket, a displacement body, and a fast self-closing emergency valve.