Electronic referencing techniques for quantitative NMR: pitfalls and how to avoid them using amplitude-corrected referencing through signal injection

NMR spectroscopy can be a superior analytical technique for quantification of compounds dissolved in solution. Traditionally a chemical reference standard of known concentration is added to the sample. The concentration of the solute can then be determined by comparing the signal integrals. However, it can be inconvenient or impossible to use internal references. Electronic referencing was developed to circumvent problems with internal standards and has been used successfully in well-controlled situations. However, it is not always possible or convenient to have samples where the dielectric sample properties do not change from one to the next. We propose a modification of the old electronic referencing technique that takes into account the electronic changes between dissimilar samples. We have called this new technique Amplitude-corrected Referencing Through Signal Injection or ARTSI.