Towards homonuclear J solid-state NMR correlation experiments for half-integer quadrupolar nuclei: experimental and simulated 11B MAS spin-echo dephasing and calculated 2J(BB) coupling constants for lithium diborate

Magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spin-echo dephasing is systematically investigated for the spin I = 3/2 (11)B nucleus in lithium diborate, Li(2)O·2B(2)O(3). A clear dependence on the quadrupolar frequency (ω(Q)(PAS)/2π = 3C(Q)/[4I(2I- 1)]) is observed: the B3 (larger C(Q)) site dephases more slowly than the B4 site at all investigated MAS frequencies (5 to 20 kHz) at 14.1 T. Increasing the MAS frequency leads to markedly slower dephasing for the B3 site, while there is a much less evident effect for the B4 site. Considering samples at 5, 25, 80 (natural abundance) and 100% (11)B isotopic abundance, dephasing becomes faster for both sites as the (11)B isotopic abundance increases. The experimental behaviour is rationalised using density matrix simulations for two and three dipolar-coupled (11)B nuclei. The experimentally observed slower dephasing for the larger C(Q) (B3) site is reproduced in all simulations and is explained by the reintroduction of the dipolar coupling by the so-called "spontaneous quadrupolar-driven recoupling mechanism" having a different dependence on the MAS frequency for different quadrupolar frequencies. Specifically, isolated spin-pair simulations show that the spontaneous quadrupolar-driven recoupling mechanism is most efficient when the quadrupolar frequency is equal to twice the MAS frequency. While for isolated spin-pair simulations, increasing the MAS frequency leads to faster dephasing, agreement with experiment is observed for three-spin simulations which additionally include the homogeneous nature of the homonuclear dipolar coupling network. First-principles calculations, using the GIPAW approach, of the (2)J(11B-11B) couplings in lithium diborate, metaborate and triborate are presented: a clear trend is revealed whereby the (2)J(11B-11B) couplings increase with increasing B-O-B bond angle and B-B distance. However, the calculated (2)J(11B-11B) couplings are small (0.95, 1.20 and 2.65 Hz in lithium diborate), thus explaining why no zero crossing due to J modulation is observed experimentally, even for the sample at 25% (11)B where significant spin-echo intensity remains out to durations of ～200 ms.     

Supercycled homonuclear dipolar decoupling in solid-state NMR: toward cleaner 1H spectrum and higher spinning rates

A homonuclear dipolar decoupling scheme based on windowed phase-modulated Lee-Goldburg (wPMLG) pulse sequences that causes a"z-rotation" of the spins for high-resolution proton NMR spectroscopy of solids is described and analyzed. This supercycled scheme suppresses the effect of pulse imperfections on the spectra and significantly relaxes the off-resonance dependence of the line-narrowing efficiency and scale factor. This leads to a broad spectral window that is free of artifacts such as zero lines, image peaks, and localized rotor-radio-frequency resonances. High-resolution (1)H spectra and two-dimensional homonuclear (1)H-(1)H correlation spectra of standard amino acids, obtained by a combination of this supercycled scheme with magic angle spinning frequencies up to 25 kHz, are demonstrated.     

Characterization of (1)H-(1)H distances in a uniformly (2)H,(15)N-labeled SH3 domain by MAS solid-state NMR spectroscopy (section sign)

In this communication, we demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining long-range (1)H-(1)H distance information by MAS solid-state NMR for a microcrystalline, uniformly (2)H,(15)N-labeled sample of a SH3 domain of chicken alpha-spectrin. The experiments yield NOESY-type spectra and rely on the favorable dispersion of the (15)N chemical shifts of the protein backbone. Perdeuteration of nonexchangeable sites is employed to simplify proton spin systems and to obtain multiple structural information. Two mixing schemes, (1)H-(1)H double quantum filtered Post-C7 and (1)H spin diffusion, are implemented to obtain quantitative (1)H-(1)H distance information. Post-C7 and spin diffusion cross-peak buildup rates are discussed for initial-rate fitting and in the framework of n = 0 rotational resonance (rotor driven spin diffusion), respectively. Different deuteration schemes were tested to find conditions where short-range (1)H-(1)H interactions are truncated (e.g., between H(N) and H(alpha)), but long-range interactions are retained (e.g., between H(N) and H(N)).     

Towards measurement of homonuclear dipolar couplings in 1H solid-state NMR: recoupling with a rotor-synchronized decoupling scheme

We describe a magic-angle spinning NMR experiment for (1)H-(1)H homonuclear dipole-dipole coupling estimations in organic solids. The methodology involves reintroducing dipolar interactions with rotor-synchronized homonuclear decoupling pulse sequences. Frequency-selective DANTE pulses are used to isolate a specific spin pair from a natural isotopic abundance sample. The coupling of interest, between the selected spin pair, may be extracted by a non linear least-squares fit of the experimentally observed modulation of the signal intensity to an exact analytical formula. The experiment is demonstrated on natural isotopic abundance glycine and alanine powder samples.     

Quantifying hydrogen-bonding strength: the measurement of 2hJNN couplings in self-assembled guanosines by solid-state 15N spin-echo MAS NMR

(2h)J(NN) hydrogen-bond mediated J couplings are measured in the solid state for two synthetic deoxyguanosine derivatives by (15)N MAS NMR spin-echo experiments. The use of rotor-synchronised Hahn-echo pulse train (RS-HEPT) (1)H decoupling, with a duty cycle of 6%, allows spin-echo durations out to 200 ms, hence enabling the accurate determination of J couplings as small as 3.8 Hz. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction structure exists for the shorter alkyl chain derivative dG(C(3))(2): the observation of significantly different (2h)J(NN) couplings, 6.2 +/- 0.4 and 7.4 +/- 0.4 Hz, for the two resolved N7 resonances is to be expected given the NH...N hydrogen-bonding distances of 2.91 and 2.83 A for the two distinct molecules in the asymmetric unit cell. For the longer alkyl chain derivative, dG(C(10))(2), for which there is no single-crystal diffraction structure, a (15)N refocused INADEQUATE spectrum (Pham et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2005, 127, 16018-16019) has demonstrated the presence of N2-H...N7 intermolecular hydrogen-bonds indicative of a quartet-like structure. The (2h)J(NN) hydrogen-bond mediated J coupling of 5.9 +/- 0.2 Hz is at the lower end of the range (5.9-8.2 Hz) of (2h)J(NN) couplings determined from solution-state NMR of guanosine quartets in quadruplex DNA. A full discussion of the determination of error bars on the fitted parameters is given; specifically, error bars determined by a non-linear fitting (using the covariance matrix) or in a Monte-Carlo fashion are found to give effectively identical results.     

Supramolecular assembly of dendritic polymers elucidated by 1H and 13C solid-state MAS NMR spectroscopy

Advanced solid-state NMR methods under fast magic-angle spinning (MAS) are used to study the structure and dynamics of large supramolecular systems, which consist of a polymer backbone with dendritic side groups and self-assemble into a columnar structure. The NMR experiments are performed on as-synthesized samples, i.e., no isotopic enrichment is required. The analysis of (1)H NMR chemical-shift effects as well as dipolar (1)H-(1)H or (1)H-(13)C couplings provide site-specific insight into the local structure and the segmental dynamics, in particular, of phenyl rings and -CH(2)O- linking units within the dendrons. Relative changes of (1)H chemical shifts (of up to -3 ppm) serve as distance constraints and allow protons to be positioned relative to aromatic rings. Together with dipolar spinning sideband patterns, pi-pi packing phenomena and local order parameters (showing variations between 30% and 100%) are selectively and precisely determined, enabling the identification of the dendron cores as the structure-directing moieties within the supramolecular architecture. The study is carried out over a representative selection of systems which reflect characteristic differences, such as different polymer backbones, sizes of dendritic side groups, or length and flexibility of linking units. While the polymer backbone is found to have virtually no effect on the overall structure and properties, the systems are sensitively affected by changing the generation or the linkage of the dendrons. The results help to understand the self-assembly process of dendritic moieties and aid the chemical design of self-organizing molecular structures.     

Concentration of hydroxyl groups in dental apatites: a solid-state 1H MAS NMR study using inverse 31P -->1H cross-polarization

The concentration of structural hydroxyl groups in the apatite mineral of enamel, dentin and cementum of healthy human teeth was estimated by reference to stoichiometric hydroxyapatite to be 73 +/- 3, 18 +/- 2 and 18 +/- 1%, respectively.     

1H detection in MAS solid-state NMR spectroscopy of biomacromolecules employing pulsed field gradients for residual solvent suppression

In this communication, we demonstrate the feasibility of 1H detection in MAS solid-state NMR for a microcrystalline, uniformly 2H,15N-labeled sample of a SH3 domain of chicken alpha-spectrin, using pulsed field gradients for suppression of water magnetization. Today, B0 gradients are employed routinely in solution-state NMR for coherence order selection and solvent suppression. We suggest to use gradients to purge water magnetization which cannot be suppressed using conventional water suppression schemes. The achievable gain in sensitivity for 1H detection is in the order of 5 compared to the 15N detected version of the experiment (at a MAS rotation frequency of 13.5 kHz). We expect that this labeling concept which achieves high sensitivity due to 1H detection, in combination with the possibility to measure long range 1H-1H distances as we have shown previously, to be a useful tool for the determination of protein structures in the solid state.     

Crystalline order in polyethylene: A 13C NMR CP/MAS solid-state T1 study

The carbon-13 spin-lattice relaxation times T₁ of the crystalline components of four solid ethylene-octene copolymers have been studied as a function of thermal history, branching number, and branching distribution. Slowly cooled samples (1 deg/min from melt to room temperature) exhibited similar or longer T₁s with respect to the same sample quench cooled (from the melt into 20°C water). The greater the degree of branching and the more homogeneous the branching distribution, the shorter were the observed crystal lattice T₁s. Differences of up to a factor of 3 in T₁ were observed for the same sample undergoing the two thermal treatments. Different degrees of branching homogeneity (for the same total number of branches) resulted in differences approaching a factor of 7 for samples with the same thermal history. These variations were attributed to the differing effects of side-chain disruption of the crystal lattice.     

Magnetic interactions of (μ-pyrazolato)-bridged copper(II) complexes determined by solid-state MAS NMR

We investigated electron spin densities of pyrazolato-bridged complexes [Cu(pz)₂]_n (1) and [Cu₂(pz)₂(NO₃)(H₂O)(phen)₂]NO₃ (2) (Hpz = pyrazole, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) using solid-state high-resolution NMR to elucidate the magnetic interaction paths with the help of molecular orbital theory. We prepared deuterated analogue of these complexes, 1-d₆ and 2-d₆, to measure temperature dependence of ²H and ¹³C NMR shifts between 190 and 350 K. The hyperfine coupling constants (HFCCs) and electron spin densities were determined from the slopes of the shifts as a function of the magnetic susceptibilities. The derived spin densities were all positive, which indicates the dominant magnetic interaction paths of these complexes are not π but σ orbitals of the pyrazolate ligand. The NMR results reasonably agreed with those of density functional theory (DFT) calculations for molecular models of 1 and 2.     

1H MAS NMR investigations of ethylene glycol adsorbed in NaX

The application of 1H MAS NMR allows a detailed study of the behavior of ethylene glycol adsorbed in NaX zeolites which may be used to understand the effect of confinement. Typical changes in the chemical shift values for the CH2 and OH groups were found which are very sensitive to interactions between the molecules and the internal surfaces. This allows clear differentiation between molecules within the zeolite cages and those adsorbed at the outer surface of the zeolite grains and also allows study of the dynamics of the different species. Selective 1H T1 measurements were carried out for various pore-filling degrees where large differences were found in the thermal mobility. It is shown that for the molecules inside the supercages, a dynamic heterogeneity occurs which may be related to the competing influences of molecule-internal surface interactions and molecule-molecule interactions within a network of intermolecular hydrogen bonds.     

High resolution 1H detected 1H,13C correlation spectra in MAS solid-state NMR using deuterated proteins with selective 1H,2H isotopic labeling of methyl groups

MAS solid-state NMR experiments applied to biological solids are still hampered by low sensitivity and resolution. In this work, we employ a deuteration scheme in which individual methyl groups are selectively protonated. This labeling scheme allows the acquisition of proton carbon correlation spectra with a resolution comparable to that in solution-state NMR experiments. We observe an increase in resolution by a factor of 10-15 compared to standard heteronuclear correlation experiments using PMLG for 1H,1H dipolar decoupling in the indirect dimension. At the same time, the full sensitivity of the proton-based experiment is retained. In comparison to the heteronuclear detected version of the experiment, a gain in sensitivity of a factor of approximately 4.7 is achieved.     

Swept-frequency two-pulse phase modulation (SWf-TPPM) sequences with linear sweep profile for heteronuclear decoupling in solid-state NMR

Recently, a pulse scheme for heteronuclear spin decoupling in solid-state NMR, called swept-frequency two-pulse phase modulation (SW(f)-TPPM), was introduced which outperforms the standard TPPM and small phase incremental alteration (SPINAL) schemes. It has also been shown that the frequency-sweep profile can be varied to achieve optimal efficiency for crystalline and liquid-crystalline samples, respectively. Here we present a detailed comparison of the proton decoupling performance for SW(f)-TPPM sequences with tangential sweep profiles (SW(f) (tan)-TPPM) and linear sweep profiles (SW(f) (lin)-TPPM). Using the (13)CH(2) resonance of crystalline tyrosine as a model system, it is shown that linear profiles have a decoupling performance which is at least as good and in some instances slightly better than that obtained from tangential sweep profiles. While tangential sweep profiles require a tangent cut-off angle as an additional parameter, the lack of that parameter makes linear sweep profiles easier to implement and optimise.     

Local environments and lithium adsorption on the iron oxyhydroxides lepidocrocite (gamma-FeOOH) and goethite (alpha-FeOOH): a 2H and 7Li solid-state MAS NMR study

2H and 7Li MAS NMR spectroscopy techniques were applied to study the local surface and bulk environments of iron oxyhydroxide lepidocrocite (gamma-FeOOH). 2H variable-temperature (VT) MAS NMR experiments were performed, showing the presence of short-range, strong antiferromagnetic correlations, even at temperatures above the Néel temperature, T(N), 77 K. The formation of a Li+ inner-sphere complex on the surface of lepidocrocite was confirmed by the observation of a signal with a large 7Li hyperfine shift in the 7Li MAS NMR spectrum. The effect of pH and relative humidity (RH) on the concentrations of Li+ inner- and outer-sphere complexes was then explored, the concentration of the inner sphere complex increasing rapidly above the point of zero charge and with decreasing RH. Possible local environments of the adsorbed Li+ were identified by comparison with other layer-structured iron oxides such as gamma-LiFeO2 and o-LiFeO2. Li+ positions of Li+-sorbed and exchanged goethite were reanalyzed on the basis of the correlations between Li hyperfine shifts and Li local structures, and two different binding sites were proposed, the second binding site only becoming available at higher pH.     

On the orientational dependence of resolution in 1H solid-state NMR, and its role in MAS, CRAMPS and delayed-acquisition experiments

Numerical simulations and experiments are used to show that the spin dynamics of the dipolar-coupled networks in solids is often strongly dependent on crystallite orientation. In particular, different rates of dephasing of the magnetisation mean that NMR signals obtained at longer dephasing times are dominated by orientations in which the local dipolar coupling strength is relatively weak. This often leads to a distinct improvement in spectral resolution as the dephasing time is increased. The effects are particularly noticeable under magic-angle spinning (MAS), but are also observed when homonuclear decoupling is used to reduce the rate of dipolar dephasing. Numerical simulation is seen to be a powerful and easily used tool for understanding the behaviour of solid-state NMR experiments involving dipolar-coupled networks. The implications for solid-state NMR spectra of abundant spins acquired under MAS and homonuclear decoupling are discussed, as well as insights provided into the performance of 'delayed-acquisition' and 'constant-time' experiments.     

1H fast MAS NMR studies of hydrogen-bonding interactions in self-assembled monolayers

The structures formed by the adsorption of carboxyalkylphosphonic acids on metal oxides were investigated by (1)H fast magic angle spinning (MAS), heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR), and (1)H double-quantum (DQ) MAS solid-state NMR experiments. The diacids HO(2)C(CH(2))(n)PO(3)H(2) (n = 2, 3, 11, and 15) were adsorbed on TiO(2) and two types of ZrO(2) powders having average particle sizes of 20, 30, and 5 nm, respectively. Carboxyalkylphosphonic acids bind selectively via the phosphonate group, forming monolayers with pendant carboxylic acid groups. Whereas dipolar coupled P-OH protons are detected on TiO(2), there are only isolated residual P-OH groups on ZrO(2), reflecting the relative binding strengths of phosphonic acids on these two substrates. From a comparative (1)H MAS NMR study with an analogous monolayer system, HO(2)C(CH(2))(7)SH coated gold nanoparticles, the hydrogen-bonding network at the monolayer/air interface is found to be quite disordered, at least for SAMs deposited on nonplanar substrates. Whereas only hydrogen-bonded homodimers occur in the bulk diacids, hydrogen bonding between the carboxylic and phosphonic acid groups is present in multilayers of the diacids on the ZrO(2) nanopowder.     

Conformation analysis and molecular mobility of ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene copolymer using solid-state 19F MAS and 1H --> 19F CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy

The changes in the conformation and molecular mobility accompanied by a phase transition in the crystalline domain were analyzed for ethylene (E) and tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) copolymer, ETFE, using variable-temperature (VT) solid-state 19F magic angle spinning (MAS) and 1H --> 19F cross-polarization (CP)/MAS NMR spectroscopy. The shifts of the signals for fluorines in TFE units to higher frequency and the continuing decrease and increase in the T1rho(F) values suggest that conformational exchange motions exist in the crystalline domain between 42 and 145 degrees C. Quantum chemical calculations of magnetic shielding constants showed that the high-frequency shift of TFE units should be induced by trans to gauche conformational changes at the CH2-CF2 linkage in the E-TFE unit. Although the 19F signals of the crystalline domain are substantially overlapped with those of the amorphous domain at ambient probe temperature (68 degrees C), they were successfully distinguished by using the dipolar filter and spin-lock pulse sequences at 145 degrees C. The dipolar coupling constants for the crystalline domain, which can be estimated by fitting the dipolar oscillation behaviors in the 1H --> 19F CP curve, showed a significant decrease with increasing temperature from 42 to 145 degrees C. This is due to the averaging of 1H-19F dipolar interactions originating from the molecular motion in the crystalline domain. The increase in molecular mobility in the crystalline domain was clearly shown by VT T1rho(F) and 1H --> 19F CP measurements in the phase transition temperature range.     

Structure calculation from unambiguous long-range amide and methyl 1H-1H distance restraints for a microcrystalline protein with MAS solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Magic-angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR becomes an increasingly important tool for the determination of structures of membrane proteins and amyloid fibrils. Extensive deuteration of the protein allows multidimensional experiments with exceptionally high sensitivity and resolution to be obtained. Here we present an experimental strategy to measure highly unambiguous spatial correlations for distances up to 13 ?. Two complementary three-dimensional experiments, or alternatively a four-dimensional experiment, yield highly unambiguous cross-peak assignments, which rely on four encoded chemical shift dimensions. Correlations to residual aliphatic protons are accessible via synchronous evolution of the (15)N and (13)C chemical shifts, which encode valuable amide-methyl distance restraints. On average, we obtain six restraints per residue. Importantly, 50% of all restraints correspond to long-range distances between residues i and j with |i - j| > 5, which are of particular importance in structure calculations. Using ARIA, we calculate a high-resolution structure for the microcrystalline 7.2 kDa α-spectrin SH3 domain with a backbone precision of ～1.1 ?.     

(1)H relaxation times of metabolites in biological samples obtained with nondestructive ex-vivo slow-MAS NMR

Methods suitable for measuring (1)H relaxation times such as T(1), T(2) and T(1rho) of metabolites in small, intact biological objects including live cells, excised organs and tissues, oil seeds etc. are developed in this work. This was achieved by combining inversion-recovery, spin-echo, or a spin-lock segment with the phase-adjusted spinning sideband (PASS) technique, which was applied at low sample-spinning rates. Here, PASS was used to produce high-resolution (1)H spectra in a nondestructive way so that the relaxation parameters of individual metabolite could be determined. The methodologies were demonstrated by measuring (1)H T(1), T(2), and T(1rho) of metabolites in excised rat liver at a spinning rate of 40 Hz.     

(15)N-(1)H bond length determination in natural abundance by inverse detection in fast-MAS solid-state NMR spectroscopy

A solid-state 15N-1H correlation NMR experiment is presented, which provides a substantial gain in signal sensitivity by 1H inverse detection under fast MAS conditions and allows for the precise determination of NH bond lengths via heteronuclear 1H-15N dipole-dipole couplings on samples naturally abundant in 15N. Pulsed-field gradients or, alternatively, radio frequency pulses ensure suppression of unwanted 1H signals. In this way, natural-abundance 15N-1H correlation NMR spectroscopy becomes feasible in the solid state with experiment times of a few hours. The dipole-dipole coupling constants are extracted from spinning sideband patterns generated by recently developed recoupling strategies. The information on 15N/1H chemical shifts and quantitative 15N-1H couplings can readily be combined in a single two-dimensional spectrum using a split-t1 approach.