HSQC-ADEQUATE correlation: a new paradigm for establishing a molecular skeleton

Various experimental methods have been developed to unequivocally identify vicinal neighbor carbon atoms. Variants of the HMBC experiment intended for this purpose have included 2J3J-HMBC and H2BC. The 1,1-ADEQUATE experiment, in contrast, was developed to accomplish the same goal but relies on the (1) J(CC) coupling between a proton-carbon resonant pair and the adjacent neighbor carbon. Hence, 1,1-ADEQUATE can identify non-protonated adjacent neighbor carbons, whereas the 2J3J-HMBC and H2BC experiments require both neighbor carbons to be protonated to operate. Since 1,1-ADEQUATE data are normally interpreted with close reference to an HSQC spectrum of the molecule in question, we were interested in exploring the unsymmetrical indirect covariance processing of multiplicity-edited GHSQC and 1,1-ADEQUATE spectra to afford an HSQC-ADEQUATE correlation spectrum that facilitates the extraction of carbon-carbon connectivity information. The HSQC-ADEQUATE spectrum of strychnine is shown and the means by which the carbon skeleton can be conveniently traced is discussed.     

HSQC-1,n-ADEQUATE: a new approach to long-range 13C-13C correlation by covariance processing

Long-range, two-dimensional heteronuclear shift correlation NMR methods play a pivotal role in the assembly of novel molecular structures. The well-established GHMBC method is a high-sensitivity mainstay technique, affording connectivity information via (n)J(CH) coupling pathways. Unfortunately, there is no simple way of determining the value of n and hence no way of differentiating two-bond from three- and occasionally four-bond correlations. Three-bond correlations, however, generally predominate. Recent work has shown that the unsymmetrical indirect covariance or generalized indirect covariance processing of multiplicity edited GHSQC and 1,1-ADEQUATE spectra provides high-sensitivity access to a (13)C-(13) C connectivity map in the form of an HSQC-1,1-ADEQUATE spectrum. Covariance processing of these data allows the 1,1-ADEQUATE connectivity information to be exploited with the inherent sensitivity of the GHSQC spectrum rather than the intrinsically lower sensitivity of the 1,1-ADEQUATE spectrum itself. Data acquisition times and/or sample size can be substantially reduced when covariance processing is to be employed. In an extension of that work, 1,n-ADEQUATE spectra can likewise be subjected to covariance processing to afford high-sensitivity access to the equivalent of (4)J(CH) GHMBC connectivity information. The method is illustrated using strychnine as a model compound.     

Determination of substitution sites in monosubstituted five-membered aromatic heterocycles

Similar magnitudes of proton-proton couplings across three, four, and five bonds and proton-carbon couplings across two and three bonds combined with difficult to predict substituent effects make the results of an indiscriminate use of routine (COSY, HSQC, HMBC, etc.) techniques for substitution site determination in C-monosubstituted five-membered heteroaromatics suspect. As demonstrated on two examples of natural products, the use of 1,1-ADEQUATE leads to unambiguous substitution site determination lending thus further support to suggested inclusion of 1,1-ADEQUATE data into computer-assisted structure elucidation (CASE) protocols.     

EXtended ACquisition Time (EXACT) NMR—A Case for ′Burst′ Non‐Uniform Sampling

A strong case exists for the introduction of burst non‐uniform sampling (NUS) in the direct dimension of NMR spectroscopy experiments. The resulting gaps in the NMR free induction decay can reduce the power demands of long experiments (by switching off broadband decoupling for example) and/or be used to introduce additional pulses (to refocus homonuclear coupling, for example). The final EXtended ACquisition Time (EXACT) spectra are accessed by algorithmic reconstruction of the missing data points and can provide higher resolution in the direct dimension than is achievable with existing non‐NUS methods.     

19F-detected dual-optimized inverted 1JCC 1,n-ADEQUATE

Modification of the recently reported ¹⁹F-detected 1,1-ADEQUATE experiment that incorporates dual-optimization to selectively invert a wide range of ¹J_CC correlations in a 1,n-ADEQUATE experiment is reported. Parameters for the dual-optimization segment of the pulse sequence were modified to accommodate the increased size of ¹J_CC homonuclear coupling constants of poly- and perfluorinated molecules relative to protonated molecules to allow broadband inversion of the ¹J_CC correlations. The observation and utility of isotope shifts are reported for the first time for 1,1- and 1,n-ADEQUATE correlations.     

Non‐Uniform Sampling and J‐UNIO Automation for Efficient Protein NMR Structure Determination

High‐resolution structure determination of small proteins in solution is one of the big assets of NMR spectroscopy in structural biology. Improvements in the efficiency of NMR structure determination by advances in NMR experiments and automation of data handling therefore attracts continued interest. Here, non‐uniform sampling (NUS) of 3D heteronuclear‐resolved [¹H,¹H]‐NOESY data yielded two‐ to three‐fold savings of instrument time for structure determinations of soluble proteins. With the 152‐residue protein NP_372339.1 from Staphylococcus aureus and the 71‐residue protein NP_346341.1 from Streptococcus pneumonia we show that high‐quality structures can be obtained with NUS NMR data, which are equally well amenable to robust automated analysis as the corresponding uniformly sampled data.     

Fast and high-resolution stereochemical analysis by nonuniform sampling and covariance processing of anisotropic natural abundance 2D 2H NMR datasets

Natural abundance deuterium (NAD) 2D NMR spectroscopy using chiral or achiral liquid crystals is an efficient analytical tool for the stereochemical analysis of enantio- or diastereomers by the virtue of proton-to-deuterium substitution. In particular, it allows the measurement of enantiopurity of organic synthetic molecules or the determination of the natural isotopic (1)H/(2)H fractionation in biological molecules, such as fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). So far, the NAD 2D spectra of solutes were acquired by using uniform sampling (US) and processed by conventional 2D Fourier transform (FT), which could result in long measurement times for medium-sized analytes or low solute concentrations. Herein, we demonstrate that this conventional approach can be advantageously replaced by nonuniform sampling (NUS) processed by covariance (Cov) transform. This original spectral reconstruction provides a significant enhancement of spectral resolution, as well as a reduction of measurement times. The application of Cov to NUS data has required the introduction of a regularization procedure in the time domain for the indirect dimension. The analytical potential of combining Cov and NUS is demonstrated by measuring the enantiomeric excess of a scalemic mixture of 2-ethyloxirane and by determining the diastereomeric excess of methyl vernoleate, a natural FAME. These two organic compounds were aligned in a polypeptide (poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate)) mesophase. In the case of NAD 2D NMR spectroscopy, we show that Cov and NUS methods allow a decrease in measurement time by a factor of two compared with Cov applied to US data and a factor of four compared with FT applied to US data.     

Complete assignments of 1H and 13C NMR spectra of leucanthoside A, a new triterpenoid saponin from Cephalaria leucantha L

Leucanthoside A, a new allose-containing triterpenoid saponin (1), was isolated from the aerial parts of Cephalaria leucantha L. Its structure was determined by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Complete assignments of the 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts were achieved by two-dimensional NMR experiments: DQF-COSY, NOESY, TOCSY, HSQC, DINE-HSQC, HMBC, 13C-1H 2D-J-resolved spectroscopy, and 1,1-ADEQUATE.     

Sensitivity enhancement for maximally resolved two‐dimensional NMR by nonuniform sampling

Resolving NMR signals which are separated in frequency on the order of their line widths requires obtaining the time domain free induction decay for a maximum time t_max = πT₂, where T₂ is the transverse relaxation time of the given signals. Unfortunately, samples acquired beyond ～1.26T₂ contribute more noise than signal to the data; and samples in the range of about (0.75–1.26)× T₂ have a negligible effect on the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR). Therefore, one must sacrifice SNR to reach evolution times of πT₂. One can preserve resolution in a shorter total experimental time by selecting a reduced set of samples from the Nyquist grid according to an exponential probability density which is on the order of the T₂ of the signals. This practice is widely termed nonuniform sampling (NUS). We derive analytic theory for the enhancement of the intrinsic SNR of NUS time domain data compared with uniformly sampled data when the total experimental times are equivalent. This theory is general for any t_max and exponential weighting and is further carefully validated with simulations. Enhancements of SNR in the time domain on the order of twofold are routinely available when t_max ～ πT₂ and are reflected in the subsequent maximum entropy reconstructed spectra. SNR enhancement by NUS is demonstrated to be helpful in enabling the acquisition of HMQC spectra of dilute bile salts in which high resolution in the indirect carbon dimension is required. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

HMBC‐1,1‐ADEQUATE via generalized indirect covariance: a high sensitivity alternative to n,1‐ADEQUATE

1,1‐ADEQUATE and the related long‐range 1,n‐ and n,1‐ADEQUATE variants were developed to provide an unequivocal means of establishing ²J_CH and the equivalent of ⁿJ_CH correlations where n = 3,4. Whereas the 1,1‐ and 1,n‐ADEQUATE experiments have two simultaneous evolution periods that refocus the chemical shift and afford net single quantum evolution for the carbon spins, the n,1‐variant has a single evolution period that leaves the carbon spin to be observed at the double quantum frequency. The n,1‐ADEQUATE experiment begins with an HMBC‐type ⁿJ_CH magnetization transfer, which leads to inherently lower sensitivity than the 1,1‐ and 1,n‐ADEQUATE experiments that begin with a ¹J_CH transfer. These attributes, in tandem, serve to render the n,1‐ADEQUATE experiment less generally applicable and more difficult to interpret than the 1,n‐ADEQUATE experiment, which can in principle afford the same structural information. Unsymmetrical and generalized indirect covariance processing methods can complement and enhance the structural information encoded in combinations of experiments e.g. HSQC‐1,1‐ or ?1,n‐ADEQUATE. Another benefit is that covariance processing methods offer the possibility of mathematically combining a higher sensitivity 2D NMR spectrum with for example 1,1‐ or 1,n‐ADEQUATE to improve access to the information content of lower sensitivity congeners. The covariance spectrum also provides a significant enhancement in the F₁ digital resolution. The combination of HMBC and 1,1‐ADEQUATE spectra is shown here using strychnine as a model compound to derive structural information inherent to an n,1‐ADEQUATE spectrum with higher sensitivity and in a more convenient to interpret single quantum presentation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of 1,1-difluoroethylsilanes and their application for the introduction of the 1,1-difluoroethyl group

1,1-Difluoroethysilanes (R₃SiCF₂CH₃, R = Me or Et) were synthesized from 1,1-difluoroethyl phenyl sulfone and chlorosilanes using magnesium metal via reductive 1,1-difluoroethylation. It was confirmed that 1,1-difluoroethylsilanes were effective 1,1-difluoroethylating reagents for carbonyl compounds.     

Non-Stationary Complementary Non-Uniform Sampling (NOSCO NUS) for Fast Acquisition of Serial 2D NMR Titration Data

NMR spectroscopy offers unique benefits for ligand binding studies on isotopically labelled target proteins. These benefits include atomic resolution, direct distinction of binding sites and modes, a lowest detectable affinity limit, and function independent setup. Yet, retracing protein signal assignments from apo to holo states to derive exact dissociation constants and chemical shift perturbation amplitudes (for ligand docking and structure-based optimization) requires lengthy titration series of 2D heteronuclear correlation spectra at variable ligand concentration that may exceed the protein's lifetime and available spectrometer time. We present a novel method to overcome this critical limitation, based on non-stationary complementary non-uniform sampling (NOSCO NUS) combined with a robust particle swarm optimization algorithm. We illustrate its potential in two challenging studies with very distinct protein sizes and binding affinities, showing that NOSCO NUS can reduce measurement times by an order of magnitude to make such highly informative NMR titration studies more broadly feasible.     

HSQC-ADEQUATE: an investigation of data requirements

Utilizing ¹³C‐¹³C connectivity networks for the assembly of carbon skeletons from HSQC‐ADEQUATE spectra was recently reported. HSQC‐ADEQUATE data retain the resonance multiplicity information of the multiplicity‐edited GHSQC spectrum and afford a significant improvement in the signal‐to‐noise (s/n) ratio relative to the 1,1‐ADEQUATE data used in the calculation of the HSQC‐ADEQUATE spectrum by unsymmetrical indirect covariance (UIC) processing methods. The initial investigation into the computation of HSQC‐ADEQUATE correlation plots utilized overnight acquisition of the 1,1‐ADEQUATE data used for the calculation. In this communication, we report the results of an investigation of the reduction in acquisition time for the 1,1‐ADEQUATE data to take advantage of the s/n gain during the UIC processing to afford the final HSQC‐ADEQUATE correlation plot. Data acquisition times for the 1,1‐ADEQUATE spectrum can be reduced to as little as a few hours, while retaining excellent s/n ratios and all responses contained in spectra computed from overnight data acquisitions. Concatenation of multiplicity‐edited GHSQC and 1,1‐ADEQUATE data also allows the interrogation of submilligram samples with 1,1‐ADEQUATE data when using spectrometers equipped with 1.7‐mm Micro CryoProbes ?. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Observation of potentially troublesome 2JCC correlations in 1,1‐ADEQUATE spectra

Despite the tremendous usage of HMBC to establish long‐range ¹H–¹³C and ¹H–¹⁵N heteronuclear correlations, an inherent drawback of the experiment is the indeterminate nature of the ⁿJ_XH correlations afforded by the experiment. A priori there is no reliable way of determining whether a given ⁿJ_CH correlation is, for example, via two‐, three‐, or sometimes even four‐bonds. This limitation of the HMBC experiment spurred the development of the ADEQUATE family of NMR experiments that rely on, in the case of 1,1‐ADEQUATE, an out‐and‐back transfer of magnetization via the ¹J_CC homonuclear coupling constant, which is significantly larger than ⁿJ_CC (where n = 2–4) couplings in most cases. Hence, the 1,1‐ADEQUATE experiment has generally been assumed to unequivocally provide the equivalent of ²J_CH correlations. The recent development of the 1,1‐ and 1,n‐HD‐ADEQUATE experiments that can provide homodecoupling for certain ¹J_CC and ⁿJ_CC correlations has increased the sensitivity of the ADEQUATE experiments significantly and can allow acquisition of these data in a fraction of the time required for the original iterations of this pulse sequence. With these gains in sensitivity, however, there occasionally come unanticipated consequences. We have observed that the collapse of proton multiplets, in addition to providing better s/n for the desired ¹J_CC correlations can facilitate the observation of typically weaker ²J_CC correlations across intervening carbonyl resonances in 1,1‐HD‐ADEQUATE spectra. Several examples are shown, with the results supported by the measurement of the ²J_CC coupling constants in question using J‐modulated‐HD‐ADEQUATE and DFT calculations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Further solvent-free reactions of ferrocenylaldehydes: Synthesis of 1,1′-ferrocenyldiimines and ferrocenylacrylonitriles

Grinding of 1,1′-ferrocenedicarboxaldehyde with a 2.2 molar equivalent of an aromatic amine in a solvent-free environment provided excellent yields of 1,1′-ferrocenyldiimines. After mixing the aldehyde and amines, a gum or melt formed which eventually solidified to the product. An analytically pure sample of the product was obtained by cold recrystallization. Grinding of ferrocenecarboxaldehyde and 4-substituted phenylacetonitriles under solvent-free conditions provided good yields of the corresponding ferrocenylacrylonitriles. The yield in this reaction was very low when the substituent group para to the acetonitrile group was electron-donating.     

Instrumental barriers in biological Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Biological applications of infrared spectroscopy have pressed for ever greater instrumental capabilities in terms of spectral sensitivity and quantitative exactness. Improved instrumentation has provided measurement of many vibrational modes in biological samples that previously were lost in noise. With highly optimized sampling conditions, useful measurements have been made with a peak-to-peak noise level less than 5 microabsorbance (5×10^–6 absorbance), at 0.5 cm^–1 resolution. However, optical and instrumental instabilities often result in sine waves that are not totally removed by the ratio of sample to reference. These often limit effective spectral sensitivity to 50 or 100 microabsorbance, peak-to-peak, and constitute a non-random noise. Non-atmospheric absorptions, especially one at 1959 cm^–1 with 0.8 cm^–1 band width (FWHM) are reported. The latter is due to a trace impurity in the KBr beam splitter substrate and compensator plate. Improvements in instrumentation and sampling conditions are expected to yield measurements of absorption bands as small as 50 microabsorbance with excellent signal/noise.     

Gold(III) reduction in a tris-HCl buffer: Effect of riboflavin,rutin, 1,1-dipyridyl,and 1-naphthol

Reduction of chloroauric acid on platinum and gold electrodes in a 0.1 M tris-HCl buffer of pH 8 containing riboflavin, rutin, 1,1-dipyridyl, or 1-naphthol is studied by cyclic voltammetry and in situ ESR methods. On the basis of the obtained data it is assumed that in the buffer there occurs the reduction of Au(III) to Au(I). In the presence of 1,1-dipyridyl, there occurs the reduction of complex [Au(III)-1,1-dipyridyl]. The reduction of Au(III) in the presence of 1-naphthol is realized in the composition of complex [Au(III)-tris-1-naphthol]. The hampering of the electrode process of the Au(III) reduction in the presence of 1-naphthol is caused by the adsorption of the [tris-1-naphthol] associates at the electrode surface. The presence of Au(III) does not exert any influence on the process of electroreduction of riboflavin. The obtained results make it possible to presume that the resistance of gold-accumulating cells Micrococcus luteus toward toxic compounds that are inhibitors of the respiratory chain, such as 1,1-dipyridyl and 1-naphthol, is caused by their binding in gold-containing complexes in the composition of Au-protein.     

Electrochemical Reduction of 4,4′‐(2,2,2‐Trichloroethane‐1,1‐diyl)‐ bis(chlorobenzene) (DDT) and 4,4′‐(2,2‐Dichloroethane‐1,1‐diyl)‐ bis(chlorobenzene) (DDD) at Carbon Cathodes in Dimethylformamide

In dimethylformamide containing tetramethylammonium tetrafluoroborate, cyclic voltammograms for reduction of 4,4′‐(2,2,2‐trichloroethane‐1,1‐diyl)bis(chlorobenzene) (DDT) at a glassy carbon cathode exhibit five waves, whereas three waves are observed for the reduction of 4,4′‐(2,2‐dichloroethane‐1,1‐diyl)bis(chlorobenzene) (DDD). Bulk electrolyses of DDT and DDD afford 4,4′‐(ethene‐1,1‐diyl)bis(chlorobenzene) (DDNU) as principal product (67–94%), together with 4,4′‐(2‐chloroethene‐1,1‐diyl)bis(chlorobenzene) (DDMU), 1‐chloro‐4‐styrylbenzene, and traces of both 1,1‐diphenylethane and 4,4′‐(ethane‐1,1‐diyl)bis(chlorobenzene) (DDO). For electrolyses of DDT and DDD, the coulometric n values are essentially 4 and 2, respectively. When DDT is reduced in the presence of a large excess of D₂O, the resulting DDNU and DDMU are almost fully deuterated, indicating that reductive cleavage of the carbon–chlorine bonds of DDT is a two‐electron process that involves carbanion intermediates. A mechanistic scheme is proposed to account for the formation of the various products.     

One-Carbon Ring Expansion of Indoles and Pyrroles: A Straightforward Access to 3-Fluorinated Quinolines and Pyridines

3-Fluorinated quinolines and pyridines are prevalent pharmacophores, yet their synthesis is often challenging. Herein, we demonstrate that dibromofluoromethane as bromofluorocarbene source enables the one-carbon ring expansion of readily available indoles and pyrroles to structurally diverse 3-fluorinated quinolines and pyridines. This straightforward protocol requires only a short reaction time of ten minutes and can be performed under air atmosphere. Preliminary investigations reveal that this strategy can also be applied to the synthesis of other valuable azines by using different 1,1-dibromoalkanes as bromocarbene sources.     

Synthesis and characterization of optically active aromatic polyimides derived from 2,2′-bis(2-trifluoro- 4-aminophenoxy)-1,1′-binaphthyl and aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides

Optically active 2,2′-bis(2-trifluoro-4-aminophenoxy)-1,1′-binaphthyl and its corresponding racemate were prepared by a nucleophilic substitution reaction of 1,1′-bi-2-naphthol with 2-chloro-5-nitrotrifluorotoluene and subsequently by the reduction of the resulting dinitro compounds. A series of optically active and optically inactive aromatic polyimides also were prepared therefrom. These polymers readily were soluble in common organic solvents such as pyridine, N,N′-dimethylacetamide, and m-cresol and had glass-transition temperatures of 256 ∼ 278 °C. The specific rotations of the chiral polymers ranged from 167 ∼ 258°, and their chiroptical properties also were studied. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 4536–4540, 1999