Utilization of NMR spectroscopy to study biological fluids and metabolic processes: Two introductory activities

This work describes two activities designed to introduce students into the use of NMR spectroscopy for the analysis of biological fluids. In the first activity, 1H spectra of common beverages are acquired and analyzed to identify their most abundant constituents based on computer-aided comparison against known spectra of metabolites. In the second activity, the utilization of glucose by yeast is followed by collecting 1H spectra over time, and the evolution of substrates and products is analyzed. The possibility of tailoring these activities to different levels and course scopes is discussed, together with potential alternative experiments and analyses. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part A 40A: 171178, 2012.