title: Ceramic cells for high pressure NMR spectroscopy of proteins.
abstract: Application of high pressure to biological macromolecules can be used to find new structural states with a smaller specific volume of the system. High pressure NMR spectroscopy is a most promising analytical tool for the study of these states at atomic resolution. High pressure quartz cells are difficult to handle, high quality sapphire high pressure cells are difficult to obtain commercially. In this work, we describe the use of high pressure ceramic cells produced from yttrium stabilized ZrO(2) that are capable of resisting pressures up to 200 MPa. Since the new cells should also be usable in the easily damageable cryoprobes a completely new autoclave for these cells has been constructed, including an improved method for pressure transmission, an integrated safety jacket, a displacement body, and a fast self-closing emergency valve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus Beck
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Erlach
authors.forename: Claudia E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Munte
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kremer
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hartl
authors.forename: Dörte
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rochelt
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Niesner
authors.forename: Hans Robert
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kalbitzer
mesh_terms: D002516:Ceramics / Q000737:chemistry*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011312:Pressure; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins