Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

NRC's Ottawa-based NMR Facilities Web
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			Did you know?
			High-Resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, a book of about 500 pages, published in 1959, and authored by J. A. Pople, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, William G. Schneider and Harold J. Bernstein of the National Research Council, Ottawa, was the first comprehensive treatise on the emerging discipline of High-resolution NMR Spectroscopy, and perhaps the last time that the field could be summarized in a single volume.

One of the most important activities of the National Research Council (NRC), Canada's leading R & D agency, is working in partnership with Canadian firms to reinforce their R & D capabilities and make them stronger global competitors. In line with this idea, several NRC Institutes have taken the initiative to encourage a more rational approach to developing their nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) facilities by promoting horizontal research between NRC institutes and collaborations with Canadian universities and industries. In Ottawa, diverse NMR facilities are located in the Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences (SIMS), the Institute for Biological Sciences (IBS), and the Institute for Chemical Process and Environmental Technology (ICPET).

The NRC NMR Centre in building M-40, located at the Montreal Road Campus, aptly named the W.G. Schneider Building, after a former NRC president and one of the most important historical figures in NMR Spectroscopy, is a collaborative effort between NRC-SIMS and NRC-IBS. It is expected to house 5 spectrometers when fully operational.

The W.G. Schneider building also houses the National Ultra-high Field NMR Facility for Solids. The facility's creation is based on a successful collaboration between NRC and the academic community and serves Canada's solid state NMR spectroscopists. It was funded by a CFI grant and is managed through the University of Ottawa. It consists of a 900 MHz NMR spectrometer, the only one in Canada.