Spinning proteins, the faster, the better?

Magic-angle spinning (MAS) is a technique that is a prerequisite for high-resolution solid-state NMR spectroscopy of proteins and other biomolecules. Recently, the 100 kHz limit for the rotation frequency has been broken, arguably making MAS rotors the man-made objects with the highest rotation frequency. This development is expected to have a significant impact on biomolecular NMR as it facilitates proton detection, which allows to partially compensate the loss in overall sensitivity associated with the small sample amounts that fit into MAS rotors with less than 1 mm outer diameter. Under these conditions, the mass-normalized sensitivity of a small rotor becomes much higher than that of larger-volume rotor.