My watch list

DSS (NMR Standard)

DSS (NMR Standard)

IUPAC name	2,2-Dimethyl-2-silapentane-5-sulfonic acid
Abbreviations	DSS
Identifiers
CAS number	18173-90-5, [2039-96-5] (sodium salt)
SMILES	C[Si](C)(C)CCCS(=O)(=O)O
Properties
Molecular formula	C₆H₁₅O₃SSi
Molar mass	195.33 g mol^-1
Appearance	White solid
Boiling point	120 °C, 393 K, 248 °F
Solubility in water	Miscible
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references

DSS is a chemical compound used in proton- and carbon-related NMR spectroscopy as a calibration standard, similar to tetramethylsilane (TMS), but with much higher water solubility. Whereas TMS is the most common NMR standard used in organic solvents such as chloroform or benzene, DSS or its sodium salt is more often used for protein experiments in water.

Additional recommended knowledge

Daily Visual Balance Check

Essential Laboratory Skills Guide

Guide to balance cleaning: 8 simple steps

The low electronegativity of the silicon shields the nine identical methyl protons. The result is a high intensity proton signal further upfield (at lower chemical shift) than almost all peaks found in naturally occurring organic molecules. The resulting standard peak is easily identified as such and set to chemical shift 0.0.

DSS also exhibits a number of other characteristic peaks in the range of 0-3 ppm.

Categories: Silicon compounds | Organometallic compounds | Sulfonic acids