Ultrafast 2D NMR: Methods and Applications

Abstract Multidimensional NMR (nD NMR) has become one of the most powerful spectroscopic tools to deliver diverse structural and functional insights into organic and biomolecules as well as on raw materials. A long-standing concern of nD NMR is related to its long experiment duration, arising from the need to sample the indirect dimension(s) in a multistep fashion. For decades, the NMR community has been developing numerous strategies to speed up nD NMR experiments and therefore extend their scope of applications. Among them is the ultrafast (UF) NMR methodology, capable of delivering arbitrary homo- or heteronuclear multidimensional spectra in a single scan. Since the initial concept was published in 2002, the performance of this subsecond 2D NMR approach has been greatly improved so that UF NMR is nowadays a relevant analytical tool used in broad variety of situations whereby the experiment duration is crucial. Following a description of the principles of UF NMR, the present review aims at emphasizing the numerous methodological developments that this approach has undergone so far in 2017. Thereafter, the high versatility of UF NMR is highlighted through the review of the applications that have been reported in a variety of settings and disciplines, in isotropic as well as anisotropic media.