NMR approach to the quantification of nonstatistical 13C distribution in natural products: vanillin

Quantitative (13)C NMR conditions have been established that permit the precise determination of site-specific (13)C/(12)C ratios at low or natural abundance. Spectral acquisition parameters have been optimized in order to obtain minimum intensity distortions over the spectral width and in relation to the major sources of inaccuracy: the relaxation times, the decoupling pulse and power, and nuclear Overhauser effects. A major reduction in experimental time resulting from a study of the relaxation times and variance analysis has been achieved. The influence of (1)H decoupling conditions on peak areas was shown to be critical in that different relative peak areas are obtained according to the decoupling power. The efficiency with which the quantitative (13)C NMR method can determine site-specific (13)C/(12)C ratios in natural products has been tested for 12 independent samples of vanillin from different sources. Discriminatory analysis performed in the space defined by the site-specific carbon isotope ratios allows natural vanillin and that from different synthetic origins to be unambiguously distinguished.     

Consistency of NMR and mass spectrometry determinations of natural-abundance site-specific carbon isotope ratios. The case of glycerol

Quantitative determinations of natural-abundance carbon isotope ratios by nuclear magnetic resonance (SNIF-NMR) have been optimized by appropriate selection of the experimental conditions and by signal analysis based on a dedicated algorithm. To check the consistency of the isotopic values obtained by NMR and mass spectrometry (IRMS) the same glycerol samples have been investigated by both techniques. To have access to site-specific isotope ratios by IRMS, the products have been degraded and transformed into two derivatives, one of which contains carbons 1 and 3 and the other carbon 2 of glycerol. The sensitivity of the isotopic parameters determined by IRMS to fractionation effects possibly occurring in the course of the chemical transformations has been investigated, and the repeatability and reproducibility of both analytical chains have been estimated. The good agreement observed between the two series of isotopic results supports the reliability of the two different approaches. SNIF-NMR is therefore a very attractive tool for routine determination, in a single nondestructive experiment, of the carbon isotope distribution in glycerol, and the method can be applied to other compounds. Using this method, the isotopic distributions have been compared for glycerol samples, obtained from plant or animal oils, extracted from fermented media, or prepared by chemical synthesis. Typical behaviors are characterized.     

Accurate quantitative 13C NMR spectroscopy: repeatability over time of site-specific 13C isotope ratio determination

The stability over time (repeatability) for the determination of site-specific 13C/12C ratios at natural abundance by quantitative 13C NMR spectroscopy has been tested on three probes: enriched bilabeled [1,2-13C2]ethanol; ethanol at natural abundance; and vanillin at natural abundance. It is shown in all three cases that the standard deviation for a series of measurements taken every 2-3 months over periods between 9 and 13 months is equal to or smaller than the standard deviation calculated from 5-10 replicate measurements made on a single sample. The precision which can be achieved using the present analytical 13C NMR protocol is higher than the prerequisite value of 1-2 per thousand for the determination of site-specific 13C/12C ratios at natural abundance (13C-SNIF-NMR). Hence, this technique permits the discrimination of very small variations in 13C/12C ratios between carbon positions, as found in biogenic natural products. This observed stability over time in 13C NMR spectroscopy indicates that further improvements in precision will depend primarily on improved signal-to-noise ratio.     

Trace labeling of proteins with stable isotopes to identify fragments in complex mixtures

We describe a novel nonradioactive protein-labeling technique that permits mass spectrometric identification of fragments of labeled proteins. Proteins are labeled by modulating their content of carbon-13 and labeled fragments identified from the distinctive isotope pattern observed on MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. We show that carbon-13 enrichment to just 2.3% of total carbon (about twice the natural abundance of 1.1%) is sufficient for all fragments to be distinguishable from fragments of natural carbon-13-content proteins. Distinguishing labeled fragments is easily accomplished by visual inspection of spectra, but importantly, we show that labeled fragments can also be identified by computer analysis of spectra using novel parameters we have derived. The technique is demonstrated for identification of fragments of carbon-13-enriched glutathione transferase within a complex mixture of unlabeled peptides by visual and computer analysis of MALDI-TOF mass spectra, but it could be developed to mass spectrometrically identify and characterize fragments of labeled proteins recovered from biological systems.     

Evaluation of gas chromatographic isotope fractionation and process contamination by carbon in compound-specific radiocarbon analysis

The relevance of both modern and fossil carbon contamination as well as isotope fractionation during preparative gas chromatography for compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) was evaluated. Two independent laboratories investigated the influence of modern carbon contamination in the sample cleanup procedure and preparative capillary gas chromatography (pcGC) of a radiocarbon-dead 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 169) reference. The isolated samples were analyzed for their 14C/12C ratio by accelerator mass spectrometry. Sample Delta14C values of -996 +/- 20 and -985 +/- 20 per thousand agreed with a Delta14C of -995 +/- 20 per thousand for the unprocessed PCB 169, suggesting that no significant contamination by nonfossil carbon was introduced during the sample preparation process at either laboratory. A reference compound containing a modern 14C/12C ratio (vanillin) was employed to evaluate process contamination from fossil C. No negative bias due to fossil C was observed (sample Delta14C value of 165 +/- 20 per thousand agreed with Delta14C of 155 +/- 12 per thousand for the unprocessed vanillin). The extent of isotopic fractionation that can be induced during pcGC was evaluated by partially collecting the vanillin model compound of modern 14C/12C abundance. A significant change in the delta13C and delta14C values was observed when only parts of the eluting peak were collected (delta13C values ranged from -15.75 to -49.91 per thousand and delta14C values from -82.4 to +4.71 per thousand). Delta14C values, which are normalized to a delta13C of -25 per thousand, did not deviate significantly (-58.9 to -5.8 per thousand, considering the uncertainty of approximately +/-20 per thousand). This means that normalization of radiocarbon results to a delta13C of -25 per thousand, normally performed to remove effects of environmental isotope fractionation on 14C-based age determinations, also cor-rects sufficiently for putative isotopic fractionation that may occur during pcGC isolation of individual compounds for CSRA.     

Precise and traceable (13)C/(12)C isotope amount ratios by multicollector ICPMS

A new method for the measurement of SI traceable carbon isotope amount ratios using a multicollector inductively coupled mass spectrometer (MC-ICPMS) is reported for the first time. Carbon (13)C/(12)C isotope amount ratios have been measured for four reference materials with carbon isotope amount ratios ranging from 0.010659 (delta(13)C(VPDB) = -46.6 per thousand) to 0.011601 (delta(13)C(VPDB) = +37 per thousand). Internal normalization by measuring boron (11)B/(10)B isotope amount ratios has been used to correct for the effects of instrumental mass bias. Absolute (13)C/(12)C ratios have been measured and corrected for instrumental mass bias and full uncertainty budgets have been calculated using the Kragten approach. Corrected (13)C/(12)C ratios for NIST RM8545 (Lithium Carbonate LSVEC), NIST RM8573 (L-Glutamic Acid USGS40), NIST RM8542 (IAEA-CH6 Sucrose) and NIST RM8574 (L-Glutamic Acid USGS41) differed from reference values by 0.06-0.20%. Excellent linear correlation (R = 0.9997) was obtained between corrected carbon isotope amount ratios and expected carbon isotope amount ratios of the four chosen NIST RMs. The method has proved to be linear within this range (from (13)C/(12)C = 0.010659 to (13)C/(12)C =0.011601), and therefore, it is suitable for the measurement of carbon isotope amount ratios within the natural range of variation of organic carbon compounds, carbonates, elemental carbon, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. In addition, a CO2 gas sample previously characterized in-house by conventional dual inlet isotope ratio mass spectrometry has been analyzed and excellent agreement has been found between the carbon isotope amount ratio value measured by MC-ICPMS and the IRMS measurements. Absolute values for carbon isotope amount ratios traceable to the SI are given for each NIST RM, and the combined uncertainty budget (including instrumental error and each parameter contributing to Russell expression for mass bias correction) has been found to be < 0.1% for the four materials. The advantage of the method versus conventional gas source isotope ratio mass spectrometry measurements is that carbon isotope amount ratios are measured as C(+) instead of CO2(+), and therefore, an oxygen (17)O correction due to the presence of (12)C(17)O(16)O(+) is not required. Organic compounds in solution can be measured without previous derivatization, combustion steps, or both, thus making the process simple. The novel methodology opens new avenues for the measurement of absolute carbon isotope amount ratios in a wide range of samples.     

Highly Dispersed Copper Nanoparticles Supported on Activated Carbon as an Efficient Catalyst for Selective Reduction of Vanillin

Highly dispersed copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) supported on activated carbon (AC) are effectively synthesized by one‐pot carbothermal method at temperature range of 400–700 °C. The X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis reveal that Cu NPs with diameters of 20–30 nm are evenly anchored in carbon matrix. The 15 wt%‐Cu/AC‐600 catalyst (derived at 600 °C) exhibits best bifunctional catalysis of aqueous‐phase hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) and organic‐phase transfer‐hydrogenation reaction (THR) to selectively transform vanillin to 2‐methoxy‐4‐methylphenol (MMP). In HDO of vanillin, the as‐prepared catalyst achieves a 99.9% vanillin conversion and 93.2% MMP selectivity under 120 °C, 2.0 MPa H₂ within 5 h. Meanwhile, near‐quantitative vanillin conversion and 99.1% MMP selectivity are also obtained under 180 °C within 5 h in THR of vanillin by using 2‐propanol as hydrogen donor. The transforming pathways of vanillin are also proposed: vanillin is transformed into MMP via intermediate of 4‐hydroxymethyl‐2‐methoxyphenol in HDO case and by direct hydrogenolysis of vanillin in THR course. More importantly, the activity and the selectivity do not change after 5 cycles, indicating the catalyst has excellent stability. The Cu‐based catalyst is relatively cheap and preparation method is facile, green, and easy scale‐up, thus achieving a low‐cost transformation of biomass to bio‐oils and chemicals.     

Studying single-wall carbon nanotubes through encapsulation: from optical methods till magnetic resonance

Encapsulating fullerenes, magnetic fullerenes, 13C isotope enriched fullerenes, and organic solvents inside SWCNTs enables to yield unprecedented insight into their electronic, optical, and interfacial properties and to study SWCNT growth. In addition to customary methods of their studies such as e.g., optical absorption or Raman spectroscopy, these efforts enables to employ electron spin resonance (ESR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Encapsulated C60 fullerenes are transformed to inner tubes by a high temperature annealing. The diameter distribution of the inner tubes follow that of the outer ones and their unique, low defect concentration makes them an ideal model system for high resolution and energy dependent Raman studies. The observation of Raman modes of individual inner-outer tube pairs allows to measure the inner-outer tube interaction strength that is also well described theoretically. Reversible closing and opening of SWCNT can be studied in a diameter selective manner by encapsulating C60 and transforming it to an inner tube. The growth of inner tubes can be achieved from 13C enriched encapsulated organic solvents, which shows that the geometry of the fullerene does not play a particular role in the inner tube growth as it was originally thought. In addition, it opens new perspectives to explore the in-the-tube chemistry. Growth of inner tubes from 13C enriched fullerenes provides a unique isotope engineered heteronuclear system, where the outer tubes contain natural carbon and the inner walls are controllably 13C isotope enriched. The material enables to identify the vibrational modes of inner tubes which otherwise strongly overlap with the outer tube modes. The 13C NMR signal of the material has an unprecedented specificity for the small diameter SWCNTs. Temperature and field dependent 13C T1 studies show a uniform metallic-like electronic state for all inner tubes rather than distributed metallic and isolating behavior. A low energy, 3 meV gap is observed that is tentatively assigned to a long sought Peierls transition in the small diameter SWCNTs. Encapsulating magnetic fullerenes, such as N@C60 and C59N opens the way for local probe ESR studies of the electronic properties of the SWCNTs.     

Vacuum electrolysis reactor technique for quantitation of 13-carbon isotope enrichment at the C1-position of formic acid and acetic acid

A specialized vacuum electrolysis reactor was designed, constructed, and utilized for 13-carbon isotope analysis of formic acid-13C and acetic acid-13C, each highly enriched at the C1-position. This reusable reactor was equipped with two platinum wire electrodes, miniature stir bar, and sidearm reaction chamber. The associated technique developed for 13-carbon isotope analysis is based upon electrolytic generation of carbon dioxide into the preevacuated reactor followed by gas inlet mass spectrometry. It proved practical to degas and electrolyze 95% formic acid (without added electrolyte) due to adequate ionic conductivity. Formic acid-13C (nominally 99 at. % 13C) was measured by electrolytic CO2 generation to be 98.9 at. % 13C. To analyze various 13C-isotopic permutations of acetic acid, lithium and acid were separately added to reactor compartments, vacuum degassed, and stirred to produce an acidic solution. Thus, acetic acid-1-13C that was nominally 99 at. % 13C1 was determined by vacuum electrolysis to be 98.9 at. % 13C1. Further, acetic acid-2-13C that was isotope depleted at the C1-position (and known to be 99 at. % 13C at C2) gave 0.8 at. % 13C by mass spectrometry.     

Cryogenic probe 13C NMR spectroscopy of urine for metabonomic studies

Cryogenic probe technology can significantly compensate for the inherently low sensitivity of natural abundance 13C NMR spectroscopy. This now permits its routine use in NMR spectroscopy of biofluids, such as urine or plasma, with acquisition times that enable a high throughput of samples. Metabonomic studies often generate numerous samples in order to characterize fully the time-dependent biochemical response to stimuli, but until now, they have been largely conducted using 1H NMR spectroscopy because of its high sensitivity and hence efficient data acquisition. Here, we demonstrate that information-rich 13C NMR spectra of rat urine can be obtained using appropriately short acquisition times suitable for biochemical samples when using a cryogenic probe. Furthermore, these data were amenable to automated pattern recognition analysis, which produced a profile of the metabolic response to the model hepatotoxin hydrazine that was consistent with earlier studies. Thus, a new source of detailed and complementary information is available to metabonomics using cryogenic probe 13C NMR spectroscopy.     

Carbon-13 cross-polarization magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance investigation of the interactions between maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene and wood polymers

The chemical interactions between maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) and wood were studied with solid-state carbon-13 cross-polarization magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance ((13)C CPMAS NMR) spectroscopy. MAPP was synthesized with 100% (13)C enrichment at the C(1) and C(4) carbons to allow detection of the [1,4-(13)C(2)]MAPP functional groups and was melt blended with cellulose, lignin, and maple wood. In the cellulose/MAPP blend, changes in (13)C CPMAS NMR corrected signal intensities for the anhydride and dicarboxylic maleic acid functionalities suggested that esterification may have occurred predominantly from the more numerous diacid carbons. A single proton longitudinal relaxation in the rotating frame, (H)T(1rho), for the MAPP and the cellulose carbons in the blend suggested that they were spin coupled, i.e., homogeneous on a 10-200 Angstrom scale. Esterification was also suggested in the lignin/MAPP blend. Furthermore, the more significant changes in the intensities of the carbonyl signals and (H)T(1rho) values suggested that lignin may be more reactive to MAPP than cellulose. Finally, when maple was melt blended with MAPP, the same trends in the (13)C CP-MAS NMR spectra and (H)T(1rho) behavior were observed as when MAPP was blended with cellulose or lignin. This study therefore clarifies that during melt compounding of wood with MAPP, esterification occurs with wood polymers, preferentially with lignin. Understanding the interactions of MAPP with wood is of significance for the development of natural-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites.     

一种笼形超分子主体化合物Cryptophane E的合成与表征

以香草醛为原料,在乙醇介质中与1,3-二溴丙烷反应生成1,3-二(4-甲酰-2-甲氧基苯氧基)丙烷,然后在甲醇介质中进行硼氢化还原,最后在甲酸介质中聚合,合成笼形超分子主体化合物Cryptophane E.采用核磁共振谱(1H NMR、13C NMR)、质谱(MS)、紫外光谱(UV)荧光光谱、红外光谱、元素分析等测试技术对Cryptophane E进行表征,重点考察反应温度、时间及原料配比等因素对合成产率的影响,获得最佳反应条件,并深入探讨了合成机理.     

Comparative analysis of cellulose preparation techniques for use with 13C, 14C, AND 18O isotopic measurements

A number of operationally defined methods exist for pretreating plant tissues in order to measure C, N, and O isotopes. Because these isotope measurements are used to infer information about environmental conditions that existed at the time of tissue growth, it is important that these pretreatments remove compounds that may have exchanged isotopes or have been synthesized after the original formation of these tissues. In stable isotope studies, many pretreatment methods focus on isolating "cellulose" from the bulk tissue sample because cellulose does not exchange C and O isotopes after original synthesis. We investigated the efficacy of three commonly applied pretreatment methods, the Brendel method and two variants of the Brendel method, the Jayme-Wise method and successive acid/base/acid washes, for use on three tissue types (wood, leaves, roots). We then compared the effect of each method on C and O isotope composition (13C, 14C, 18O), C and N content, and chemical composition of the residue produced (using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)). Our results raised concerns over use of the Brendel method as published, as it both added C and N to the sample and left a residue that contains remnant lipids and waxes. Furthermore, this method resulted in 18O values that are enriched relative to the other methods. Modifying the Brendel method by adding a NaOH step (wash) solved many of these problems. We also found that processed residues vary by tissue type. For wood and root tissues, the 13C NMR spectra and the 18O and 13C data showed only small differences between residues for the Jayme-Wise and modified Brendel methods. However, for leaf tissue, 13C NMR data showed that Jayme-Wise pretreatments produced residues that are more chemically similar to cellulose than the other methods. The acid/base/acid washing method generated 13C NMR spectra with incomplete removal of lignin for all tissues tested and both isotopic, and 13C NMR results confirmed that this method should not be used if purified cellulose is desired.     

Sugar interaction with metals in aqueous solution: indirect determination from infrared and direct determination from nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

In this article, mid-infrared Fourier transform (Mid-FT-IR) and carbon thirteen nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) spectroscopy have been used to determine possible interactions between sucrose and various alkali or alkaline earth metals in aqueous solution. In the presence of these metals, significant shifts in the absorption bands of sucrose were noted by mid-FT-IR coupled with principal component analysis (PCA). These shifts were explained on the basis of weakening of the H-bond network between sucrose and water and possible interactions between sucrose and the metal ion. Factorial maps were established and the spectral patterns obtained show that these interactions vary according to the nature of the metal ion. 13C NMR analysis showed that the carbon atoms of sucrose undergo shielding or deshielding in the presence of metal ions in aqueous solutions. Two factors were invoked to account for the variation of chemical shifts: the rupture of hydrogen bonds due to hydration of the metal ion and the possible coordination of the metal ion to the oxygen atoms of sucrose.     

Use of laser spectroscopy to measure the 13C/12C and 18O/16O compositions of carbonate minerals

The stable carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of carbonate minerals are utilized throughout the earth and environmental sciences for various purposes. Here, we demonstrate the first application of a prototype instrument, based on off-axis integrated cavity output laser spectroscopy, to measure the carbon and oxygen isotope composition of CO(2) gas evolved from the acidification of carbonate minerals. The carbon and oxygen isotope ratios were recorded from absorption spectra of (12)C(16)O(16)O, (13)C(16)O(16)O, and (12)C(16)O(18)O in the near-infrared wavelength region. The instrument was calibrated using CaCO(3) minerals with known δ(13)C(VPDB) and δ(18)O(VSMOW) values, which had been previously calibrated by isotope ratio mass spectrometry relative to the international isotopic standards NBS 18 and NBS 19. Individual analyses are demonstrated to have internal precision (1 SE) of better than 0.15‰ for δ(13)C and 0.6‰ for δ(18)O. Analysis of four carbonate standards of known isotopic composition over 2 months, determined using the original instrumental calibration, indicates that analyses are accurate to better than 0.5‰ for both δ(13)C and δ(18)O without application of standard-sample-standard corrections.     

非晶碳膜中sp2和sp3相的检测方法

非晶碳薄膜由sp2和sp3杂化的碳原子组成.sp2和sp3碳原子的比例是决定非晶碳膜的结构和性能的重要参数.如何定量或定性地分析碳薄膜中sp2和sp3碳的含量一直是十分重要的问题.目前用来测定sp2和sp3碳及其比例的实验方法有13C核磁共振谱(NMR)、电子能量损失谱(EELS)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、椭圆偏振谱、拉曼光谱(Raman)、红外光谱(IR)等.综述了这些测定方法及其特点.     

Characterization of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films by nuclear magnetic resonance techniques

Different nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods have been used to investigate the structure of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films. Besides measuring the sp²-to-sp³ ratio by means of ¹³C cross-polarization magic-angle spinning total suppression of spinning sidebands NMR we studied the distribution of covalently bound hydrogen over sp²- and sp³-type carbon atoms using dipolar dephasing techniques. The reliability of the dipolar dephasing measurements is discussed and the results are compared with the data derived from a simple statistical model. Moreover they are compared with previous IR spectroscopy measurements. ¹H combined rotation-and-multipulse NMR spectra are presented which do not show resolved proton resonances in the case of as-deposited films but correspond in their line shape to the proton distribution measured with dipolar dephasing. Finally a few considerations concerning a refined structural model are presented.     

Combined analysis of C-18 unsaturated fatty acids using natural abundance deuterium 2D NMR spectroscopy in chiral oriented solvents

The quantitative determination of isotopic (2H/1H)i ratios at natural abundance using the SNIF-NMR protocol is a well-known method for understanding the enzymatic biosynthesis of metabolites. However, this approach is not always successful for analyzing large solutes and, specifically, is inadequate for prochiral molecules such as complete essential unsaturated fatty acids. To overcome these analytical limitations, we use the natural abundance deuterium 2D NMR (NAD 2D NMR) spectroscopy on solutes embedded in polypeptide chiral liquid crystals. This approach, recently explored for measuring (2H/1H)i ratios of small analytes (Lesot, P.; Aroulanda, C.; Billault, I. Anal. Chem. 2004, 76, 2827-2835), is a powerful way to separate the 2H signals of all nonequivalent enantioisotopomers on the basis both of the 2H quadrupolar interactions and of the 2H chemical shift. Two significant advances over our previous work are presented here and allow the complete isotopic analysis of four mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acid methyl esters: methyl oleate (1), methyl linoleate (2), methyl linolenate (3), and methyl vernoleate (4). The first consists of using NMR spectrometers operating at higher magnetic field strength (14.1 T) and equipped with a selective cryoprobe optimized for deuterium nuclei. The second is the development of Q-COSY Fz 2D NMR experiments able to produce phased 2H 2D maps after a double Fourier transformation. This combination of modern hardware and efficient NMR sequences provides a unique tool to analyze the (2H/1H)i ratios of large prochiral molecules (C-18) dissolved in organic solutions of poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) and requires smaller amounts of solute than previous study on fatty acids. For each compound (1-4), all 2H quadrupolar doublets visible in the 2D spectra have been assigned on the basis of 2H chemical shifts, isotopic data obtained from isotropic quantitative NAD NMR, and by an interspectral comparison of the anisotropic NAD spectra of four fatty acids. The NMR results are discussed in terms of (2H/1H)i isotopic distribution and molecular orientation in the mesophase. For the first time, we show that the investigation of natural isotopic fractionation of complete fatty acids is possible without the need of chemical modifications, hence providing an alternative method to probe the mechanisms of enzymes implied in the biosynthetic pathway of unsaturated fatty acids.     

Self-consistent metabolic mixture analysis by heteronuclear NMR. Application to a human cancer cell line

Elucidation of the chemical composition of biological samples is a main focus of systems biology and metabolomics. In order to comprehensively study these complex mixtures, reliable, efficient, and automatable methods are needed to identify and quantify the underlying metabolites and natural products. Because of its rich information content, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has a unique potential for this task. Here we present a generalization of the recently introduced homonuclear TOCSY-based DemixC method to heteronuclear HSQC-TOCSY NMR spectroscopy. The approach takes advantage of the high resolution afforded along the (13)C dimension due to the narrow (13)C line widths for the identification of spin systems and compounds. The method combines information from both 1D (13)C and (1)H traces by querying them against an NMR spectral database using our COLMAR query web server. The complementarity of (13)C and (1)H spectral information improves the robustness of compound identification. The method is demonstrated for a metabolic model mixture and is then applied to an extract from DU145 human prostate cancer cells.