Electron-Spin Resonance Spectroscopy

The research group is dedicated to modern electron-spin resonance (ESR/EPR) spectroscopy, from high-frequency EPR to methods at the interface with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and their applications in biological science. We have been investigating how to excite and detect paramagnetic centers and their coupled nuclear spins with microwave (mw) and radio frequency (rf) pulses to achieve information on active sites of proteins or on the global structure of biomolecules. One main strategy is to transfer the much larger polarization of electron spins to nuclear spins. To this end, developments of pulse schemes at high magnetic fields (≥ 3 Tesla) and corresponding resonant mw frequencies are in focus. The most representative applications are the investigation of enzymatic reactions involving paramagnetic intermediates, particularly the proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) in E. coli ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), and the exploration of long-range structural information in nucleic acids and transmembrane peptides by pulsed dipolar spectroscopy.

Press releases & research news

Marina Bennati awarded Fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR)

The International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR), is an international network for researchers using and developing magnetic resonance technologies. ISMAR awards its fellowships to particularly committed scientists who not only stand out for their outstanding research, but also promote the exchange of ideas within the network.
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Enhancing NMR signals in liquids

September 04, 2024

Analyzing complex (bio)molecules using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has often been challenging due to limitations in sensitivity. Now, a research team led by Marina Bennati at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences and the University of Göttingen, in cooperation with Bruker BioSpin GmbH, has changed that: The researchers developed a new instrumental design that enables enhancing NMR signals of nuclei such as ¹³C or ¹⁹F in one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments. The research collaboration achieved signal enhancements up to two orders of magnitudes in small molecules, drugs, and metabolites. This paves the way for broader applications of enhanced liquid-state NMR. more

ERC Advanced Grant for Marina Bennati

April 27, 2021

The research group leader receives 2.4 million euros of funding from the European Research Council for the next five years. The physical chemist and her team want to use the money to combine two methods: nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electron spin resonance spectroscopy. more

Yearbook Article (2010)

Electron spins as probes for biomolecules
Unpaired electrons possess a magnetic moment, which is about three orders of magnitude larger than the one of a proton. This moment can be employed as a highly sensitive probe in EPR spectroscopic investigations to gain structural information at the atomic up to the nanometer scale. The experiments provide insights into structural changes of biomolecules during their functional states. We have developed and implemented multi-frequency EPR methodologies to investigate enzymatic reactions in proteins and oligonucleotides. (in German)
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