Efficient Batch-Mode Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization of Propane.

We report on a simple approach for efficient NMR proton hyperpolarization of propane using the parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) technique, which yielded ≈6.2 % proton polarization using ≈80 % parahydrogen, a record level achieved with any hyperpolarization technique for propane. Unlike in previously developed approaches designed for continuous-flow operation, where reactants (propene and parahydrogen) are simultaneously loaded for homogeneous or heterogeneous pairwise addition of parahydrogen, here a batch-mode method is applied: propene is first loaded into the catalyst-containing solution, which is followed by homogeneous hydrogenation via parahydrogen bubbling delivered at ≈7.1 atm. The achieved nuclear spin polarization of this contrast agent potentially useful for pulmonary imaging is approximately two orders of magnitude greater than that achieved in the continuous-flow homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation, and a factor of 3-10 more efficient compared to the typical results of heterogeneous continuous-flow hydrogenations.