Walk-up NMR instrument usage rules

To ensure fair and efficient use of the walk-up NMR instrument, the following rules apply:

General considerations

General procedures and responsibilities

• Use IconNMR to submit all experiments and select correct parameters (solvent, temperature, pulse program, etc.).

• Never remove or alter the sample in slot 24 of the sample changer. This is a dedicated sample used for automatic shimming, run regularly by the NMR instrument.

• Remove your samples promptly after completion, i.e. as soon as possible after you receive email notification that your experiments have finished.

• Respect all bookings and never alter another user’s queued experiment.

• Report any issues (e.g., Sample changer malfunction or low air pressure) to the instrument manager immediately.

• Persistent misuse may result in restricted or or complete loss of access.

Liquid nitrogen refill                                                      

• Every second week, the instrument is scheduled for liquid nitrogen refill on Tuesday or Wednesday. (Exceptions may occur due to holidays)

• The instrument will be unavailable for 4 hours during this time.

• Check the booking system LIMS for the exact time and plan accordingly.

Experiments at elevated temperatures

• Experiments exceeding 70?°C are only allowed during office hours (08:00–16:00, Mon–Fri).

• Before your first high temperature experiment, you must book a time for a supervised setup and test run with the instrument manager (Jerker Mårtensson).

• Make sure to book time for this supervised run both in LIMS and directly with the instrument manager.

Booking rules

1. General access and walk-up use

The instrument is available for walk-up use by all users during 08:00–17:00 on:

• Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursday, except during liquid nitrogen refills (every second Tuesday or Wednesday).

• Tuesdays and Friday, if no advance bookings have been made.

During walk-up hours, users may submit short experiments (≤30 minutes per sample) via IconNMR.

A maximum of 1.5 hours of total instrument time per user per day is allowed during daytime walk-up to ensure fair access for all.

This corresponds approximately to:

• Five standard 1D ¹H or ¹?F experiments (16 scans each), or

• Two standard 1D ¹³C CPD experiments (1024 scans), or

• Two 2D experiments such as COSY, HSQC, or HMBC (256 increments, 8 scans)

2. Overnight use

Overnight period: 19:00–07:00 (Mon–Fri)

• Users may queue longer experiments overnight, up to 10 hours total instrument time per user.

• Samples for the night queue must not be placed in the sample changer before 16:00.

• Experiments exceeding 10 hours must be scheduled for the weekend.

3. Advance bookings

Advance bookings are only available on Tuesdays and Friday.

Users may reserve:

• Three 2-hour blocks per week, or

• Two 4-hour blocks per week (not in addition to daily bookings)

• Bookings must be made at least 24 hours in advance through the booking system LIMS.

If no advance bookings exist, normal walk-up rules apply.

4. Weekend use

Weekend period: Friday 18:00 – Monday 08:00

• Users may book up to 24 hours of instrument time for long experiments.

• Bookings must be made in advance in the booking system LIMS.

Public holidays are treated as “weekends”.