Feasibility of arsenic and antimony NMR spectroscopy in solids: An investigation of some group 15 compounds

The feasibility of obtaining ⁷⁵As and ^121/123Sb NMR spectra for solids at high and moderate magnetic field strengths is explored. Arsenic-75 nuclear quadrupolar coupling constants and chemical shifts have been measured for arsenobetaine bromide and tetraphenylarsonium bromide. Similarly, ^121/123Sb NMR parameters have been measured for tetraphenylstibonium bromide and potassium hexahydroxoantimonate. The predicted pseudo-tetrahedral symmetry at arsenic and the known trigonal bipyramidal symmetry at antimony in their respective tetraphenyl-bromide “salts” are reflected in the measured ⁷⁵As and ¹²¹Sb nuclear quadrupole coupling constants, C_Q(⁷⁵As)=7.8 MHz and C_Q(¹²¹Sb)=159 MHz, respectively. Results of density functional theory quantum chemistry calculations for isolated molecules using ADF and first-principles calculations using CASTEP, a gauge-including projector augmented wave method to deal with the periodic nature of solids, are compared with experiment. Although the experiments can be time consuming, measurements of ⁷⁵As and ¹²¹Sb NMR spectra (at 154 and 215 MHz, respectively, i.e., at B₀=21.14 T) with linewidths in excess of 1 MHz are feasible using uniform broadband excitation shaped pulse techniques (e.g., WURST and WURST-QCPMG).     

EASY: A simple tool for simultaneously removing background,deadtime and acoustic ringing in quantitative NMR spectroscopy—Part I: Basic principle and applications

Elimination of Artifacts in NMR SpectroscopY (EASY) is a simple but very effective tool to remove simultaneously any real NMR probe background signal, any spectral distortions due to deadtime ringdown effects and -specifically- severe acoustic ringing artifacts in NMR spectra of low-gamma nuclei. EASY enables and maintains quantitative NMR (qNMR) as only a single pulse (preferably 90°) is used for data acquisition. After the acquisition of the first scan (it contains the wanted NMR signal and the background/deadtime/ringing artifacts) the same experiment is repeated immediately afterwards before the T1 waiting delay. This second scan contains only the background/deadtime/ringing parts. Hence, the simple difference of both yields clean NMR line shapes free of artefacts.In this Part I various examples for complete ¹H, ¹¹B, ¹³C, ¹⁹F probe background removal due to construction parts of the NMR probes are presented. Furthermore, ²⁵Mg EASY of Mg(OH)₂ is presented and this example shows how extremely strong acoustic ringing can be suppressed (more than a factor of 200) such that phase and baseline correction for spectra acquired with a single pulse is no longer a problem. EASY is also a step towards deadtime-free data acquisition as these effects are also canceled completely. EASY can be combined with any other NMR experiment, including 2D NMR, if baseline distortions are a big problem.     

Design and construction of a versatile dual volume heteronuclear double resonance microcoil NMR probe

Improved NMR detection of mass limited samples can be obtained by taking advantage of the mass sensitivity of microcoil NMR, while throughput issues can be addressed using multiple, parallel sample detection coils. We present the design and construction of a double resonance 300-MHz dual volume microcoil NMR probe with thermally etched 440-nL detection volumes and fused silica transfer lines for high-throughput stopped-flow or flow-through sample analysis. Two orthogonal solenoidal detection coils and the novel use of shielded inductors allowed the construction of a probe with negligible radio-frequency cross talk. The probe was resonated at ¹H–²D (upper coil) and ¹H–¹³C (lower coil) frequencies such that it could perform 1D and 2D experiments with active locking frequency. The coils exhibited line widths of 0.8–1.1 Hz with good mass sensitivity for both ¹H and ¹³C NMR detection. ¹³C-directly detected ²D HETCOR spectra of 5% v/v ¹³C labeled acetic acid were obtained in less than 5 min. Demonstration of the probe characteristics as well as applications of the versatile two-coil double resonance probe are discussed.     

Can one and two-dimensional solid-state NMR fingerprint zeolite framework topology?

In this contribution, we have explored the potential and strength of one-dimensional (1D) ²⁹Si and two-dimensional (2D) ²⁹S–²⁹Si and ²⁹Si–¹⁷O NMR as invariants of non-oriented graph for fingerprinting zeolite frameworks. 1D and 2D ²⁹Si NMR can indeed provide indications on the graph vertices, edges and allow the construction of the adjacency matrix, i.e. the set of connections between the graph vertices. From the structural data, hypothetical 1D ²⁹Si and 2D ²⁹Si–²⁹Si NMR signatures for 193 of the zeolite frameworks reported in the Atlas of Zeolite Structures have been generated. Comparison between all signatures shows that thanks to the 1D ²⁹Si NMR data only, almost 20% of the known zeolite frameworks could be distinguished. Further NMR signatures were generated by taking into account 2D ²⁹Si–²⁹Si and ²⁹Si–¹⁷O correlations. By sorting and comparison of all the NMR data, up to 80% of the listed zeolites could be unambiguously discriminated. This work indicates that (i) solid-state NMR data indeed represent a rather strong graph invariant for zeolite framework, (ii) despite their difficulties and costs (isotopic labeling is often required, the NMR measurements can be long), ²⁹Si and ¹⁷O NMR measurements are worth being investigated in the frame of zeolites structure resolution. This approach could also be generalized to other zeolite-related materials containing NMR-measurable nuclides.     

NMR study of heterogeneity in pyridine-N-oxide...HCl crystal

An origin of narrow ¹H NMR signals in pyridine-N-oxide (PyO)...HCl crystal has been investigated by means of MAS, SPEDAS, NOESY and COSY techniques. Spectra of crystalline samples are compared with those of solid phase obtained from liquid PyO...HCl solutions (in acetonitile/H₂O) after the heterogeneous phase separation. It has been concluded that partially resolved peaks in ¹H NMR spectra of solids are related with heterogeneity of spin system and presence of different H-bond clusters of water molecules. NOESY spectra show no cross-peaks even at very long mixing time (500 ms). This indicates there is no exchange process between spins causing different peaks, and thus the corresponding molecular aggregates are captured in “islands of mobility8 without any channels sufficient for exchange. Appearance of MAS side bands as “pseudo8 cross-peaks in 2D NMR spectra using MAS/COSY technique is reported. In the case of accidental coincidence of spinning frequency (ω _MAS ) with spectral distances between some diagonal signals, intensive non-diagonal peaks are observed at the corresponding cross-positions. A misleading conclusion concerning spin coupling is easy to avoid using various ω _MAS . This work is dedicated to Professor Robert Blinc on the occasion of his 70^th birthday.     

Critical factors in obtaining meaningful fast MAS NMR spectra of non-integral spin quadrupolar nuclei. A review with particular emphasis on27Al MAS NMR of catalysts and minerals

In the last decade, magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR has become an extremely important method for studying the structure of inorganic solids. Advances in NMR technology have greatly aided in understanding the structure of catalysts, minerals, clays, ceramics, glasses, etc. Obtaining meaningful MAS spectra of spin-1/2 nuclei such as²⁹Si and³¹P is relatively straightforward and well understood. In contrast, obtaining meaningful MAS spectra is far from simple with non-integral spin quadrupolar nuclei such as¹¹B (I=3/2),¹⁷O (I=5/2),²³Na (I=3/2),²⁷Al (I=5/2),⁶⁹Ga (I=3/2), and⁷¹Ga (I=3/2)?to name some of the most commonly studied nuclei. Many additional factors have to be considered. This paper will deal with these factors and the utility of very fast MAS for studying non-integral spin quadrupolar nuclei in inorganic solids.     

On the role of experimental imperfections in constructing 1H spin diffusion NMR plots for domain size measurements

We discuss the precision of 1D chemical-shift-based ¹H spin diffusion NMR experiments as well as straightforward experimental protocols for reducing errors. The ¹H spin diffusion NMR experiments described herein are useful for samples that contain components with significant spectral overlap in the ¹H NMR spectrum and also for samples of small mass (<1 mg). We show that even in samples that display little spectral contrast, domain sizes can be determined to a relatively high degree of certainty if common experimental variability is accounted for and known. In particular, one should (1) measure flip angles to high precision (≈±1° flip angle), (2) establish a metric for phase transients to ensure their repeatability, (3) establish a reliable spectral deconvolution procedure to ascertain the deconvolved spectra of the neat components in the composite or blend spin diffusion spectrum, and (4) when possible, perform 1D chemical-shift-based ¹H spin diffusion experiments with zero total integral to partially correct for errors and uncertainties if these requirements cannot fully be implemented. We show that minimizing the degree of phase transients is not a requirement for reliable domain size measurement, but their repeatability is essential, as is knowing their contribution to the spectral offset (i.e. the J₁ coefficient). When performing experiments with zero total integral in the spin diffusion NMR spectrum with carefully measured flip angles and known phase transient effects, the largest contribution to error arises from an uncertainty in the component lineshapes which can be as high as 7%. This uncertainty can be reduced considerably if the component lineshapes deconvolved from the composite or blend spin diffusion spectra adequately match previously acquired pure component spectra.     

3D 1H-13C-14N correlation solid-state NMR spectrum

Nitrogen-14 (spin I = 1) has always been a nucleus difficult to observe in solid-state NMR and until recently its observation was restricted to one-dimensional (1D) spectra. We present here the first 3D ¹H–¹³C–¹⁴N NMR correlation spectrum. This spectrum was acquired on a test sample l-histidine·HCl·H₂O using a recently developed technique, which consists in indirectly observing ¹⁴N nuclei via dipolar recoupling with an HMQC-type experiment.     

Solid-state NMR/NQR and first-principles study of two niobium halide cluster compounds

Two hexanuclear niobium halide cluster compounds with a [Nb₆X₁₂]²⁺ (X=Cl, Br) diamagnetic cluster core, have been studied by a combination of experimental solid-state NMR/NQR techniques and PAW/GIPAW calculations. For niobium sites the NMR parameters were determined by using variable B_o field static broadband NMR measurements and additional NQR measurements. It was found that they possess large positive chemical shifts, contrary to majority of niobium compounds studied so far by solid-state NMR, but in accordance with chemical shifts of ⁹⁵Mo nuclei in structurally related compounds containing [Mo₆Br₈]⁴⁺ cluster cores. Experimentally determined δ_iso(⁹³Nb) values are in the range from 2400 to 3000 ppm. A detailed analysis of geometrical relations between computed electric field gradient (EFG) and chemical shift (CS) tensors with respect to structural features of cluster units was carried out. These tensors on niobium sites are almost axially symmetric with parallel orientation of the largest EFG and the smallest CS principal axes (V_zz and δ₃₃) coinciding with the molecular four-fold axis of the [Nb₆X₁₂]²⁺ unit. Bridging halogen sites are characterized by large asymmetry of EFG and CS tensors, the largest EFG principal axis (V_zz) is perpendicular to the X-Nb bonds, while intermediate EFG principal axis (V_yy) and the largest CS principal axis (δ₁₁) are oriented in the radial direction with respect to the center of the cluster unit. For more symmetrical bromide compound the PAW predictions for EFG parameters are in better correspondence with the NMR/NQR measurements than in the less symmetrical chlorine compound. Theoretically predicted NMR parameters of bridging halogen sites were checked by ^79/81Br NQR and ³⁵Cl solid-state NMR measurements.     

29Si NMR in solid state with CPMG acquisition under MAS

A remarkable enhancement of sensitivity can be often achieved in ²⁹Si solid-state NMR by applying the well-known Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill (CPMG) train of rotor-synchronized π pulses during the detection of silicon magnetization. Here, several one- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) techniques are used to demonstrate the capabilities of this approach. Examples include 1D ²⁹Si{X} CPMAS spectra and 2D ²⁹Si{X} HETCOR spectra of mesoporous silicas, zeolites and minerals, where X = ¹H or ²⁷Al. Data processing methods, experimental strategies and sensitivity limits are discussed and illustrated by experiments. The mechanisms of transverse dephasing of ²⁹Si nuclei in solids are analyzed. Fast magic angle spinning, at rates between 25 and 40 kHz, is instrumental in achieving the highest sensitivity gain in some of these experiments. In the case of ²⁹Si–²⁹Si double-quantum techniques, CPMG detection can be exploited to measure homonuclear J-couplings.     

NMR Studies of Hindered Rotation. The Diels-Alder Adduct of N-n-Butylmaleimide With Phencyclone: Restricted Motion of Bridgehead Phenyls

The Diels-Alder adduct of phencyclone and N-n-butylmaleimide has been prepared, and NMR studies have been carried out in CDCl₃ solution at ambient temperatures by one-and two-dimensional ¹H NMR (300 MHz) and ¹³C NMR (75 MHz) techniques. The resulting spectra appear to be consistent with slow rotation about the hindered C(sp²)-C(sp³) bonds to the bridgehead unsubstituted phenyls, i.e., slow exchange limit (SEL) spectra. Full rigorous ¹H spectral assignments have been made via high-resolution COSY experiments. The number of signals in the ¹³C NMR aryl region were also consistent with hindered phenyl rotations; preliminary ¹³C assignments are given. Striking evidence for magnetic anisotropic effects due to the phenanthrene moiety, bridging ketone carbonyl, and bridgehead phenyls are discussed, supporting endo stereochemical assignment of the adduct.     

Multiple resonance heteronuclear decoupling under MAS: dramatic increase of spectral resolution at moderate magnetic field and MAS frequencies

The effects of multiple-resonance heteronuclear decoupling under magic angle spinning (MAS) on the resolution of one-dimensional ¹⁹F and ³¹P and various two-dimensional MAS NMR spectra and on the residual non-refocusable coherence lifetimes in fluorinated aluminophosphate AlPO₄-CJ2, i.e. a compound that contains numerous highly abundant nuclei but no homonuclear spin bath, has been investigated. The design of the four-channel (¹H, ¹⁹F, ²⁷Al, ³¹P) MAS probe used for this study is first described. ¹H and ¹H–²⁷Al double-resonance decouplings allows lengthening the optimized transverse relaxation and increasing the resolution in the ¹⁹F and ³¹P dimensions. Under the application of multi-nuclear decoupling, a two-dimensional ¹⁹F–³¹P CP-HETCOR correlation spectrum for AlPO₄-CJ2 is recorded with unprecedented high-resolution in the two dimensions. Moreover, because ¹H-decoupling increases the ¹⁹F , it has been applied during the entire duration of the 2D NMR experiments, allowing the direct use of residual small interactions to generate ¹⁹F–¹⁹F and ¹⁹F–²⁷Al 2D NMR correlation spectra in AlPO₄-CJ2.     

Sensitive, quantitative carbon-13 NMR spectra by mechanical sample translation

Collecting a truly quantitative carbon-13 spectrum is a time-consuming chore. Very long relaxation delays, required between transients to allow the z-magnetization, M_z, of the spin with the longest T₁ to return to the equilibrium value, M₀, must precede each transient. These long delays also reduce sensitivity, as fewer transients per unit time can be acquired. In addition, sometimes T₁ is not known to within even a factor of two: a conservative guess for the relaxation delay then leads to very low sensitivity. We demonstrate a fresh method to bypass these problems and collect quantitative carbon-13 spectra by swapping the sample volume after each acquisition with a different portion where the magnetization is already equilibrated to M₀. Loading larger sample volumes of 10–20 mL into an unusually long (1520 mm) 5 mm OD. NMR tube and vertically sliding the tube between acquisitions accomplishes the swap. The relaxation delay can then be skipped altogether. The spectra are thus both quantitative, and far more sensitive. We demonstrate the moving tube technique on two small molecules (thymol and butylhydroxytoluene) and show good carbon-13 quantification. The gain in sensitivity can be as much as 10-fold for slowly-relaxing ¹³C resonances. These experiments show that quantitative, sensitive carbon-13 spectra are possible whenever sufficient sample volumes are available. The method is applicable to any slow-relaxing nuclear spin species, such as ²⁹Si, ¹⁵N and other low-γ nuclei.     

Magnetic properties and Fe NMR studies of U-type hexaferrites

U-type hexaferrites with compositions Ba₄Me₂Fe₃₆O₆₀ (Me=Cu, Fe, Co, Mn and Mg) have been synthesized and characterized by magnetization measurements and zero field ⁵⁷Fe nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. The NMR spectra show resonance peaks corresponding to different crystallographic sites of iron (tetrahedral, octahedral and trigonal bipyramidal) with integral intensities according to their site multiplicity. In comparison with the NMR spectrum of M-type barium hexaferrite the intensities of some of the peaks arising due to iron sublattices (f_IV, a and b sites) are different, though there is no difference in peak positions indicating the same local hyperfine field strength at Fe nuclei. The maximum saturation magnetization at room temperature was found in Cu₂U (70 emu/g) and Fe₂U (67 emu/g). The Curie temperatures, saturation magnetizations and coercitivities for the U-type hexaferrites are given.     

Cd MAS and static NMR study of halogenocadmate crystals

¹¹³Cd magic-angle spinning (MAS) and static NMR spectra are measured using 23 kinds of halogenocadmate crystals with known structures to determine the isotropic chemical shifts (δ_iso), chemical shift anisotropies (Δδ), and asymmetry parameters η and then to discuss the relationship among these NMR parameters and the halide-anion co-ordination environments around Cd²⁺. The δ_iso(MAS) values of halide-anion co-ordination polyhedra of Cd²⁺ largely change with the kind of halide-anion and the halide-anion co-ordination number. The |Δδ| and η in halogenocadmate crystals is largely dependent on the structure type of crystal, but is independent of the halide-anion co-ordination number of Cd²⁺.     

H, C NMR and JCH coupling constants investigation of 4-Phenylpyridine: A combined experimental and theoretical study

Proton coupled and uncoupled ¹³C, ¹H, DEPT, COSY and HETCOR NMR spectra of 4-Phenylpyridine (4-Phpy) have been reported for the first time except for its ¹H NMR spectrum. In order to provide a precise structural elucidation for carbon atoms those have very close chemical shifts to each other, the magnitude of ⁿJ_CH (n=1,2,3) coupling constants of 4-Phpy (C₁₁H₉N) have also been investigated. ¹³C, ¹H NMR chemical shifts and ^1-3J_CH coupling constants of 4-Phpy have been calculated by means of B3LYP density functional method with 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. Moreover, the optimized parameters (bond lengths, bond and torsion angles) of 4-Phpy have been calculated with B3LYP at 6-31G(d) level in methanol (ε=32.63). Comparison between the experimental and the theoretical results indicates that density functional B3LYP method is able to provide satisfactory results for predicting NMR properties.     

Annealing of PrF3 nanoparticles by microwave irradiation

The influence of microwave irradiation on the recovery of nanocrystalline PrF₃ powders has been experimentally analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at T = 1.5 K. It is established that the relaxation times of ¹⁴¹Pr and ¹⁹F nuclei rise significantly with an increase in the hydrothermal-treatment time, whereas the ¹⁴¹Pr NMR spectra narrow, which indicates a decrease in the number of defects in the lattices of nanosamples.     

Lasiodonin Acetonide的NMR数据解析

对lasiodonin acetonide进行了¹H和¹³C NMR检测,参考lasiodonin, maoecrystal T, wikstroemioidin B和rabdocoetsin A的¹H、¹³C NMR数据,通过DEPT和¹H-¹H COSY、HSQC、HMBC等2D NMR技术对该化合物所有的¹H和¹³C NMR信号进行了全归属和详细解析.     

Studies of Hindered Rotation and Magnetic Anisotropy by 1H, 13C and 19F NMR. The Diels-Alder Adduct of N- Pentafluorophenylmaleimide and Phencyclone: A Model for Drugs.

The potent Diels-Alder diene, phencyclone, 1, reacts with N-pentafluorophenylmaleimide, 2, to form an adduct, 3, characterized by ¹H, ¹³C, and ¹⁹F NMR at 300, 75 and 282 MHz, respectively. The one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of 3 at ambient temperatures imply a slow exchange limit (SEL) regime with respect to rotation of the unsubstituted bridgehead phenyl groups about severely hindered C(sp²)-C(sp³) bonds. Major non-bonded interactions are expected between the ortho protons of the C₆H₅ groups and H-1, 8 of the phenanthrenoid moiety of 3. ¹⁹F 1D and 2D (COSY) NMR spectra show that the SEL regime also obtains for rotation about the N-C₆F₅ bond of 3, with five separate fluorine signals seen, consistent with a preferred conformation in which the C₆F₅ may lie roughly perpendicular to the plane of the pyrrolidinedione moiety, and may be in the mirror symmetry plane of 3. The results are considered relevant to hindered aryl rotations in numerous Pharmaceuticals. Selected spectral data for 2 and precursors are also presented.     

High-pressure,high-resolution NMR probe working at 400 MHZ

Abstract

A probe for obtaining high-resolution multinuclear NMR spectra at elevated pressures with a Bruker AM-400 spectrometer is described. The probe is designed for pressures up to 200 MPa and has been used between -40 to 150°C. We obtain routinely a resolution of about 1 Hz for proton (400 MHz) spectra using deuterium as an internal field lock. This probe is easily interchangeable with a commercial probe. We also describe a simple sample tube made of a 5 mm commercial NMR tube and a machinable glass cap with a total volume of about 1 cm³.