We are developing iron-57 and deuterium Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) as an experimental method for use in the Biomedical Sciences. Many compounds found in the blood contain iron cores. Among these are the cytochromes, hemoglobin, or ferridoxin. Few chemical methods may be used to directly study the central metal atom environments of these proteins. Iron-57 NMR is being developed for that purpose. Some time ago, we reported the utility of iron-57 NMR for study of relaxation times and chemical shifts of some iron compounds related to biological entities. We determined thus the basic parameters needed for further study of iron NMR. Our current efforts to develop the method have involved synthesis of series of weakly magnetic iron-57 enriched compounds. Efforts to observe the metal resonance are underway.
