400 DRX Rules

Rules for Sign-up on the DRX 400 MHz NMR (PS651)

The estimated time for changing a probe and setting up the instrument can be from 20 minutes to 2 hours.

    1. The 400 MHz NMR is available to all the qualified (after completing the training sessions) NMR users only with prior appointments. These appointments are made in advance, as explained below.
    2. For making an appointment, NMR users are required to:
      1. Starting every Wednesday at noon, and until Friday at 9 AM, users will be allowed to sign-up by PS652 on the posted Phase 1 sign-up schedule. This sign-up will be for NMR time starting the following Monday at 8 AM for the following week (ending 7 days later at Monday, 8 AM). The order of sign-up will be first come, first served. In the event of a tie, a coin flip or a roll of the dice will decide the order. During this time period (Wed-Fri), a maximum reservation of 24 hours (that may be spread out over one or more days) per research lab will be in place, with the exception for Dr. Ba’s group, in which a 48-hour maximum is in place.
      2. A completed NMR Time Request Form reflecting the request made above (2-1) must also be submitted to Ali Jabalameli’s in box (PS652) at that time.
      3. Ali will examine the Phase I schedule on Friday, and he will rearrange the times to minimize hardware changes, to maximize efficiency, and to include any additional time needed for those changes as maintenance time. Ali will create and post by PS652 a new schedule as Phase II next to Phase I by12 noon on Friday.
      4. After Friday at noon, the rest of the free time blocks of the following week are available for the users to sign-up for any length of time. These sign-up requests must be made to Ali by email (to verify the order of first come, first served). The NMR Time Request Form is sent as an attachment to this email. Also, put hard copies of the form and email in the Phase II request box. This will be confirmed by a follow-up phone call to Ali. Ali will post these additional requested times on paper. The latest schedule will be the updated paper Phase II schedule.
      5. At the end of each week, the NMR Time Request Forms, unrestricted time email requests, Phase I and Phase II schedules as well as the final schedule that reflects all of the changes (cancellations, additional times, etc.) that occurred to the Phase II schedule will be placed in a notebook for records in the Department Office by Ali. Also, the Department’s Academic Support Coordinator (ASC) will give a copy of the final schedule to Bill Wimberley for invoicing purposes.
    3. The NMR scheduling board shows two weeks (current week and following week). Each day is divided to 24 blocks (each block of time is 1 hour). Prime time is from 8:00 AM-8:00 PM, Monday thru Friday.
    4. In the case of any time cancellation, the user must complete and distribute by email the NMR Time Cancellation Form to Ali and the NMR user group. The email sending time is the official cancellation time. If you cancel your reservation more than 48 hours before the start of your time slot, your user account will be charged a minimum of one hour of usage. If you cancel it less than 48 hours before your time slot, you will be billed for any unused time plus one hour.
    5. If there is a special NMR time request that cannot be fulfilled under the current NMR scheduling guidelines, it should be indicated in the NMR Time Request Form. For a special experiment that requires more than 24 hours, but less than one week, the entire list of NMR users will be informed at least two weeks in advance. For a special experiment that requires more than one week, the entire list of NMR users will informed at least one month in advance. The list of faculty NMR users will be consulted in order to reasonably accommodate the request.
    6. Every NMR user must document their instrument usage in the NMR logbook. This must be done regardless of the nature of work, time of day and length of time. Please provide all the information requested in the logbook. Undocumented use of the spectrometers will result in suspension of user privileges.

    To download a PDF of these rules, please click here.