in situ NMR EC

 Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, most commonly known as NMR spectroscopy, is the name given to a technique which exploits the magnetic properties of certain nuclei. The most important applications for the organic chemist are proton NMR and carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy. In principle, NMR is applicable to any nucleus possessing spin.
Many types of information can be obtained from an NMR spectrum. Analysis of a NMR spectrum provides information on the number and type of chemical entities in a molecule.
The impact of NMR spectroscopy on the natural sciences has been substantial. It can, among other things, be used to study mixtures of analytes, to understand dynamic effects such as change in temperature and reaction mechanisms, and is an invaluable tool in understanding molecule structure. It can be applied to a wide variety of samples in solution.

The combination of NMR spectroscopy and electrochemistry provides an in situ method to measure structural changes of the redox components in electrochemical reaction by proton NMR experiments. Therefore we invented a new spectroelectrochemical NMR cell design consisting of nearly metal free symmetrically arranged large scale carbon fiber electrodes. Due to the advantages of modern NMR spectroscopy a cell rotation is no longer necessary for high resolution measurements making this cell suitable for in situ measurements prepared in an easy way. The cell design is universal for a large variety of NMR spectrometers and frequencies used for detection of different nuclei. In situ NMR spectroelectrochemistry is a powerful tool to study the reaction mechanism of electrode reactions.

Figure: reversible reduction of p-Benzoquinone to the corresponding hydroquinone measured in situ by NMR spectroelectrochemistry