The week-long course, hosted in the BIPM Headquarters’ Chemistry Laboratories, brought together scientists from fifteen different countries, with instructors from National Metrology Institutes and the BIPM Chemistry Department as well as experts in quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. The instructors from NMIJ (Japan), INTI (Argentina), BAM (Germany) and NIM (China) had all previously been visiting scientists at the BIPM and contributed to the characterization of an ensemble of internal reference standards that allow qNMR measurements to be performed on virtually any organic compound.

 

qNMR is becoming the method of choice for the value assignment of purity of organic compounds as primary reference materials for diagnostic, food safety, pharmaceutical, forensic and drug testing and other applications.

The summer school included both practical and theoretical modules covering: gravimetric preparation of samples for qNMR; use of NMR software for quantification; spectrometer set up for 1H qNMR; Internal Substance Reference Materials and Reference Data for qNMR; FID processing, baseline correction, deconvolution and integration of spectra; qNMR data correction using LC information; qNMR applied to peptides; spectrometer set up for ¹⁹F and ³¹P qNMR; measurement uncertainty calculation for qNMR; 2D NMR – structure confirmation and impurity profiling.

The BIPM is delighted to have been able to run the onsite course, which allowed colleagues working on qNMR from around the world to connect and share their expertise. The BIPM is very grateful to the NMI instructors that developed the course material over the last year in preparation for the summer school. The online version of the course is being finalized and will be available through the BIPM eLearning portal.