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High-field QCPMG NMR of Strontium Nuclei in Natural Minerals

Journal Article · · Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

We found that the only stable NMR-active isotope of strontium, 87Sr, is a spin-9/2 quadrupolar nucleus that has a low gyromagnetic ratio, a low natural abundance, and a large nuclear electric quadrupole moment. In this work, we utilize the quadrupolar Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (QCPMG) pulse sequence and a 21.14 T NMR spectrometer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to characterize the strontium sites in the natural minerals strontianite (SrCO 3) and celestine (SrSO 4). QCPMG at 21.14 T was found to provide sensitivity enhancements of roughly two orders of magnitude over Hahn-echo experiments at an 11.74 T magnetic field. We extracted the quadrupolar parameters for the strontium nuclei through iterative simulations of the experimental spectra with the SIMPSON program by Bak, Rasmussen, and Nielsen. Moreover, the data show that the quadrupolar parameters of 87Sr appear to be highly sensitive to the symmetry of the strontium coordination environment and can thus provide information about the strontium binding environment in complex systems.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US), Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
876841
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-46703; 7490; 10293; KP1704020
Journal Information:
Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Journal Name: Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Journal Issue: 1-3 Vol. 29; ISSN SSNRE4; ISSN 0926-2040
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English