High‐field 95Mo and 183W static and MAS NMR study of polyoxometalates

The potential of high‐field NMR to measure solid‐state ⁹⁵Mo and ¹⁸³W NMR in polyoxometalates (POMs) is explored using some archetypical structures like Lindqvist, Keggin and Dawson as model compounds that are well characterized in solution. NMR spectra in static and under magic angle spinning (MAS) were obtained, and their analysis allowed extraction of the NMR parameters, including chemical shift anisotropy and quadrupolar coupling parameters. Despite the inherent difficulties of measurement in solid state of these low‐gamma NMR nuclei, due mainly to the low spectral resolution and poor signal‐to‐noise ratio, the observed global trends compare well with the solution‐state NMR data. This would open an avenue for application of solid‐state NMR to POMs, especially when liquid‐state NMR is not possible, e.g., for poorly soluble or unstable compounds in solution, and for giant molecules with slow tumbling motion. This is the case of Keplerate where we provide here the first NMR characterization of this class of POMs in the solid state. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solid‐state NMR Spectroscopy of Quadrupolar Nuclei in Inorganic Chemistry

We here review the principles and applications of solid‐state NMR spectroscopy of quadrupolar nuclei, with a special emphasis on structural studies of inorganic solids. Most NMR‐observable nuclei have spin I > 1/2, and possess a quadrupole moment. The resulting quadrupolar interaction severely broadens the resonances, but also encapsulates valuable information about the symmetry of the electronic surroundings of the observed nucleus. The effect of the quadrupolar interaction, as well as that of the chemical shift and dipolar interaction, on solid‐state NMR spectra is examined in this article. To regain good resolution, specifically designed NMR techniques exist to remove the quadrupolar broadening, i.e. overtone and MQMAS spectroscopy, the principles of which are outlined here. In addition, the possibility of distance measurements via the dipolar interaction using the REDOR technique is discussed. The combined information derived from distance measurements, quadrupolar and chemical shift parameters can be helpful for determination of the crystal structure, or for detection of impurity phases, as illustrated by surveying a number of case studies covering spin I = 1, 3/2, 5/2 and 7/2.     

Differentiation among dairy products by combination of fast field cycling NMR relaxometry data and chemometrics

A set of commercial milk and Sicilian cheeses was analysed by a combination of fast field cycling (FFC) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry and chemometrics. The NMR dispersion (NMRD) curves were successfully analysed with a mathematical model applied on Parmigiano–Reggiano (PR) cheese. Regression parameters were led back to the molecular components of cheeses (water trapped in casein micelles, proteins and fats) and milk samples (water belonging to hydration shells around dispersed colloidal particles of different sizes and bulk water). The application of chemometric analysis on relaxometric data enabled differentiating milk from cheeses and revealing differences within the two sample groups of either cheeses or milk samples. Marked differences among cheeses were evidenced by statistical analysis of the sole quadrupolar peaks parameters, suggesting that these contain information on the nature of the milk used during cheese production. Hence, combination of FFC NMR and chemometrics represents a powerful tool to investigate alterations in dairy products.     

An Investigation into PEO/Crosslinked‐Silicone Semi‐Interpenetrating Polymer Network Using 1H Solid‐State NMR Spectroscopy under Fast MAS

Microstructure and phase behavior of a semi‐interpenetrating polymer network consisting of 10% poly(ethylene oxide) and 90% crosslinked‐silicone have been studied using various ¹H solid‐state NMR methods under fast magic angle spinning in combination with well‐known polymer characterization techniques. Both, ¹H double‐quantum MAS NMR spectroscopy as well as NOESY MAS measurements indicate a mixing of the two components on a molecular level.     

Probing the Local Structure of Pure Ionic Liquid Salts with Solid‐ and Liquid‐State NMR

Room‐temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) are gaining increasing interest and are considered part of the green chemistry paradigm due to their negligible vapour pressure and ease of recycling. Evidence of liquid‐state order, observed by IR and Raman spectroscopy, diffraction studies, and simulated by ab initio methods, has been reported in the literature. Here, quadrupolar nuclei are used as NMR probes to extract information about the solid and possible residual order in the liquid state of RTILs. To this end, the anisotropic nature and field dependence of quadrupolar and chemical shift interactions are exploited. Relaxation time measurements and a search for residual second‐order quadrupolar coupling were employed to investigate the molecular motions present in the liquid state and infer what kind of order is present. The results obtained indicate that on a timescale of ～10^?8 sec or longer, RTILs behave as isotropic liquids without residual order.     

A Study of Transition‐Metal Organometallic Complexes Combining 35Cl Solid‐State NMR Spectroscopy and 35Cl NQR Spectroscopy and First‐Principles DFT Calculations

A series of transition‐metal organometallic complexes with commonly occurring metal? chlorine bonding motifs were characterized using ³⁵Cl solid‐state NMR (SSNMR) spectroscopy, ³⁵Cl nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spectroscopy, and first‐principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations of NMR interaction tensors. Static ³⁵Cl ultra‐wideline NMR spectra were acquired in a piecewise manner at standard (9.4 T) and high (21.1 T) magnetic field strengths using the WURST‐QCPMG pulse sequence. The ³⁵Cl electric field gradient (EFG) and chemical shielding (CS) tensor parameters were readily extracted from analytical simulations of the spectra; in particular, the quadrupolar parameters are shown to be very sensitive to structural differences, and can easily differentiate between chlorine atoms in bridging and terminal bonding environments. ³⁵Cl NQR spectra were acquired for many of the complexes, which aided in resolving structurally similar, yet crystallographically distinct and magnetically inequivalent chlorine sites, and with the interpretation and assignment of ³⁵Cl SSNMR spectra. ³⁵Cl EFG tensors obtained from first‐principles DFT calculations are consistently in good agreement with experiment, highlighting the importance of using a combined approach of theoretical and experimental methods for structural characterization. Finally, a preliminary example of a ³⁵Cl SSNMR spectrum of a transition‐metal species (TiCl₄) diluted and supported on non‐porous silica is presented. The combination of ³⁵Cl SSNMR and ³⁵Cl NQR spectroscopy and DFT calculations is shown to be a promising and simple methodology for the characterization of all manner of chlorine‐containing transition‐metal complexes, in pure, impure bulk and supported forms.     

Ultra‐Low‐Field NMR Relaxation and Diffusion Measurements Using an Optical Magnetometer

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry and diffusometry are important tools for the characterization of heterogeneous materials and porous media, with applications including medical imaging, food characterization and oil‐well logging. These methods can be extremely effective in applications where high‐resolution NMR is either unnecessary, impractical, or both, as is the case in the emerging field of portable chemical characterization. Here, we present a proof‐of‐concept experiment demonstrating the use of high‐sensitivity optical magnetometers as detectors for ultra‐low‐field NMR relaxation and diffusion measurements.     

Hydrogen bonds and local symmetry in the crystal structure of gibbsite

First‐principles quantum mechanical calculations of NMR chemical shifts and quadrupolar parameters have been carried out to assign the ²⁷Al MAS NMR resonances in gibbsite. The ²⁷Al NMR spectrum shows two signals for octahedral aluminum revealing two aluminum sites coordinated by six hydroxyl groups each, although the crystallographic positions of the two Al sites show little difference. The presence of two distinguished ²⁷Al NMR resonances characterized by rather similar chemical shifts but quadrupolar coupling constants differing by roughly a factor of two is explained by different character of the hydrogen bonds, in which the hydroxyls forming the corresponding octahedron around each aluminum site, are involved. The Al‐I site characterized by a C_Q = 4.6 MHz is surrounded by OH? groups participating in four intralayer and two interlayer hydrogen bonds, while the Al‐II site with the smaller quadrupolar constant (2.2 MHz) is coordinated by hydroxides, of which two point toward the intralayer cavities and four OH‐bonds are aligned toward the interlayer gallery. In high‐resolution solid‐state ¹H CRAMPS (combination of rotation and multiple‐pulse spectroscopy) four signals with an intensity ratio of 1:2:2:1 are resolved which allow to distinguish six nonequivalent hydrogen sites reported in the gibbsite crystal structure and to ascribe them to two types of structural OH groups associated with intralayer and interlayer hydrogen bonds. This study can be applied to characterize the gibbsite‐like layer—intergallery interactions associated with hydrogen bonding in the more complex systems, such as synthetic aluminum layered double hydroxides. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of Flavonoid Glycosides from Neolitsea Sericea var. Aurata via the General Method and HPLC‐SPE‐NMR

Six flavonoid rhamnosides ( 1‐2, 4‐7 ) were separated from the water‐soluble non‐alkaloidal portion of the EtOH extract of the leaves of Neolitsea sericea var. aurata using various chromatographic techniques including Sephadex LH‐20, centrifugal partition chromatography, and RP‐18 Lobar. One additional compound ( 3 ) besides these six was identified by application of HPLC‐SPE‐NMR in a flavonoid rich fraction. The latter approach consumed only 1.5 mg of samples, theoretically equivalent to 0.2 g of dry leaves. This study demonstrates that HPLC‐SPE‐NMR has great advantage over the general methods on the aspects of manpower, research time, amounts of plant materials, and consumables in separation and characterization of natural products.     

Quindolinocryptotackieine: the elucidation of a novel indoloquinoline alkaloid structure through the use of computer‐assisted structure elucidation and 2D NMR

Numerous indoloquinoline alkaloid structures have been identified from extracts of the West African plant Cryptolepis sanguinolenta. Recently, through the use of 2D NMR methods and cryogenic NMR probe technology in conjunction with computer‐assisted structure elucidation (CASE) methods, the structures of some chemical degradation products of this family of alkaloids have also been reported. We now report the characterization of a novel indoloquinoline dimeric alkaloid, quindolinocryptotackieine, through the extensive utilization of CASE methods. The NMR data presented here were collected over a decade earlier before the elucidation of the structure was possible, since manual analysis did not present a conclusive structure, whereas CASE produced a series of structures from which the structure could be verified. The original mass spectrometric (MS) data collected for the sample were problematic. Contemporary MS data were instead recollected from remaining small quantities of this alkaloid using modern instrumentation. The re‐collected data gave a usable molecular ion and several key fragment ions that were diagnostically useful. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Combined Solid‐State NMR and X‐ray Crystallography Study of the Bromide Ion Environments in Triphenylphosphonium Bromides

Multinuclear (³¹P and ^79/81Br), multifield (9.4, 11.75, and 21.1 T) solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments are performed for seven phosphonium bromides bearing the triphenylphosphonium cation, a molecular scaffold found in many applications in chemistry. This is undertaken to fully characterise their bromine electric field gradient (EFG) tensors, as well as the chemical shift (CS) tensors of both the halogen and the phosphorus nuclei, providing a rare and novel insight into the local electronic environments surrounding them. New crystal structures, obtained from single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, are reported for six compounds to aid in the interpretation of the NMR data. Among them is a new structure of BrPPh₄, because the previously reported one was inconsistent with our magnetic resonance data, thereby demonstrating how NMR data of non‐standard nuclei can correct or improve X‐ray diffraction data. Our results indicate that, despite sizable quadrupolar interactions, ^79/81Br magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a powerful characterisation tool that allows for the differentiation between chemically similar bromine sites, as shown through the range in the characteristic NMR parameters. ^35/37Cl solid‐state NMR data, obtained for an analogous phosphonium chloride sample, provide insight into the relationship between unit cell volume, nuclear quadrupolar coupling constants, and Sternheimer antishielding factors. The experimental findings are complemented by gauge‐including projector‐augmented wave (GIPAW) DFT calculations, which substantiate our experimentally determined strong dependence of the largest component of the bromine CS tensor, δ₁₁, on the shortest Br? P distance in the crystal structure, a finding that has possible application in the field of NMR crystallography. This trend is explained in terms of Ramsey’s theory on paramagnetic shielding. Overall, this work demonstrates how careful NMR studies of underexploited exotic nuclides, such as ^79/81Br, can afford insights into structure and bonding environments in the solid state.     

Calculations of solid‐state 43Ca NMR parameters: A comparison of periodic and cluster approaches and an evaluation of DFT functionals

We present a computational study of magnetic‐shielding and quadrupolar‐coupling tensors of ⁴³Ca sites in crystalline solids. A comparison between periodic and cluster‐based approaches for modeling solid‐state interactions demonstrates that cluster‐based approaches are suitable for predicting ⁴³Ca NMR parameters. Several model chemistries, including Hartree–Fock theory and 17 DFT approximations (SVWN, CA‐PZ, PBE, PBE0, PW91, B3PW91, rPBE, PBEsol, WC, PKZB, BMK, M06‐L, M06, M06‐2X, M06‐HF, TPSS, and TPSSh), are evaluated for the prediction of ⁴³Ca NMR parameters. Convergence of NMR parameters with respect to basis sets of the form cc‐pVXZ (X = D, T, Q) is also evaluated. All DFT methods lead to substantial, and frequently systematic, overestimations of experimental chemical shifts. Hartree–Fock calculations outperform all DFT methods for the prediction of ⁴³Ca chemical‐shift tensors. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Rapid Acquisition of 14N Solid‐State NMR Spectra with Broadband Cross Polarization

Nitrogen is an element of utmost importance in chemistry, biology and materials science. Of its two NMR‐active isotopes, ¹⁴N and ¹⁵N, solid‐state NMR (SSNMR) experiments are rarely conducted upon the former, due to its low gyromagnetic ratio (γ) and broad powder patterns arising from first‐order quadrupolar interactions. In this work, we propose a methodology for the rapid acquisition of high quality ¹⁴N SSNMR spectra that is easy to implement, and can be used for a variety of nitrogen‐containing systems. We demonstrate that it is possible to dramatically enhance ¹⁴N NMR signals in spectra of stationary, polycrystalline samples (i.e., amino acids and active pharmaceutical ingredients) by means of broadband cross polarization (CP) from abundant nuclei (e.g., ¹H). The BR oadband A diabatic IN version C ross‐ P olarization ( BRAIN–CP ) pulse sequence is combined with other elements for efficient acquisition of ultra‐wideline SSNMR spectra, including W ideband U niform‐ R ate S mooth‐ T runcation ( WURST ) pulses for broadband refocusing, C arr– P urcell M eiboom– G ill ( CPMG ) echo trains for T₂‐driven S/N enhancement, and frequency‐stepped acquisitions. The feasibility of utilizing the BRAIN–CP/WURST–CPMG sequence is tested for ¹⁴N, with special consideration given to (i) spin‐locking integer spin nuclei and maintaining adiabatic polarization transfer, and (ii) the effects of broadband polarization transfer on the overlapping satellite transition patterns. The BRAIN–CP experiments are shown to provide increases in signal‐to‐noise ranging from four to ten times and reductions of experimental times from one to two orders of magnitude compared to analogous experiments where ¹⁴N nuclei are directly excited. Furthermore, patterns acquired with this method are generally more uniform than those acquired with direct excitation methods. We also discuss the proposed method and its potential for probing a variety of chemically distinct nitrogen environments.     

Ultra‐wideline 27Al NMR Investigation of Three‐ and Five‐Coordinate Aluminum Environments

Ultra‐wideline ²⁷Al NMR experiments are conducted on coordination compounds with ²⁷Al nuclei possessing immense quadrupolar interactions that result from exceptionally nonspherical coordination environments. NMR spectra are acquired using a methodology involving frequency‐stepped, piecewise acquisition of NMR spectra with Hahn‐echo or quadrupolar Carr–Purcell Meiboom–Gill (QCPMG) pulse sequences, which is applicable to any half‐integer quadrupolar nucleus with extremely broad NMR powder patterns. Despite the large breadth of these central transition powder patterns, ranging from 250 to 700 kHz, the total experimental times are an order of magnitude less than previously reported experiments on analogous complexes with smaller quadrupolar interactions. The complexes examined feature three‐ or five‐coordinate aluminum sites: trismesitylaluminum (AlMes₃), tris(bis(trimethylsilyl)amino)aluminum (Al(NTMS₂)₃), bis[dimethyl tetrahydrofurfuryloxide aluminum] ([Me₂‐Al(μ‐OTHF)]₂), and bis[diethyl tetrahydrofurfuryloxide aluminum] ([Et₂‐Al(μ‐OTHF)]₂). We report some of the largest ²⁷Al quadrupolar coupling constants measured to date, with values of C_Q(²⁷Al) of 48.2(1), 36.3(1), 19.9(1), and 19.6(2) MHz for AlMes₃ , Al(NTMS₂)₃ , [Me₂‐Al(μ‐OTHF)]₂ , and [Et₂‐Al(μ‐OTHF)]₂ , respectively. X‐ray crystallographic data and theoretical (Hartree–Fock and DFT) calculations of ²⁷Al electric field gradient (EFG) tensors are utilized to examine the relationships between the quadrupolar interactions and molecular structure; in particular, the origin of the immense quadrupolar interaction in the three‐coordinate species is studied via analyses of molecular orbitals.     

Combined ab initio computational and experimental multinuclear solid-state magnetic resonance study of phenylphosphonic acid

1H, 13C, 17O and 31P NMR parameters, including chemical shift tensors and quadrupolar parameters for 17O, were calculated for phenylphosphonic acid, C6H5PO(OH)2, under periodic boundary conditions. The results are in very good agreement with experimental data and permit the unambiguous assignment of all the sites present in the structure. In particular, the 17O NMR parameters of the P=O and P-OH environments were precisely determined, which should help in the characterization of the bonding mode of phosphonate molecules in hybrid solids. Moreover, the effect of intermolecular interactions on the NMR parameters were investigated by comparing the results of the calculations in the crystal and in an isolated molecule of phenylphosphonic acid.     

Polymorphism of N,N'-diacetylbiuret studied by solid-state 13C and 15N NMR spectroscopy, DFT calculations, and X-ray diffraction

The molecular configuration and crystal structure of solid polycrystalline N,N′′‐diacetylbiuret (DAB), a potential nitrogen‐rich fertilizer, have been analyzed by a combination of solid‐ and liquid‐state NMR spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and DFT calculations. Initially a pure NMR study (“NMR crystallography”) was performed as available single crystals of DAB were not suitable for X‐ray diffraction. Solid‐state ¹³C NMR spectra revealed the unexpected existence of two polymorphic modifications (α‐ and β‐DAB) obtained from different chemical procedures. Several NMR techniques were applied for a thorough characterization of the molecular system, revealing chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) tensors of selected nuclei in the solid state, chemical shifts in the liquid state, and molecular dynamics in the solid state. Dynamic NMR spectroscopy of DAB in solution revealed exchange between two different configurations, which raised the question, is there a correlation between the two different configurations found in solution and the two polymorphic modifications found in the solid state? By using this knowledge, a new crystallization protocol was devised which led to the growth of single crystals suitable for X‐ray diffraction. The X‐ray data showed that the same symmetric configuration is present in both polymorphic modifications, but the packing patterns in the crystals are different. In both cases hydrogen bonds lead to the formation of planes of DAB molecules. Additional symmetry elements, a two‐fold screw in the case of α‐DAB and a c‐glide plane in the case of β‐DAB, lead to a more symmetric (α‐DAB) or asymmetric (β‐DAB) intermolecular hydrogen‐bonding pattern for each molecule.     

De Novo 3D Structure Determination from Sub‐milligram Protein Samples by Solid‐State 100 kHz MAS NMR Spectroscopy

Solid‐state NMR spectroscopy is an emerging tool for structural studies of crystalline, membrane‐associated, sedimented, and fibrillar proteins. A major limitation for many studies is still the large amount of sample needed for the experiments, typically several isotopically labeled samples of 10–20 mg each. Here we show that a new NMR probe, pushing magic‐angle sample rotation to frequencies around 100 kHz, makes it possible to narrow the proton resonance lines sufficiently to provide the necessary sensitivity and spectral resolution for efficient and sensitive proton detection. Using restraints from such spectra, a well‐defined de novo structure of the model protein ubiquitin was obtained from two samples of roughly 500 μg protein each. This proof of principle opens new avenues for structural studies of proteins available in microgram, or tens of nanomoles, quantities that are, for example, typically achieved for eukaryotic membrane proteins by in‐cell or cell‐free expression.     

Epoxy resin curing reaction studied by proton multiple‐quantum NMR

This study demonstrates that the curing reaction of thermosetting polymers, in particular, epoxy resins cured with aliphatic amines, can be characterized by different multiple‐quantum (MQ) NMR experiments performed in low‐field spectrometers. Measurements of the curing reaction at 40 °C, 70 °C, and 100 °C are carried out to obtain the kinetic parameters like induction time, vitrification time, polymerization rate, and activation energy being consistent with data obtained by other traditional and complementary techniques. Besides, it is demonstrated that ¹H MQ‐NMR spectroscopy is a successful approach to overcome the experimental challenge arising from the characterization of high dipolar‐coupled polymers to study the network structure and segmental dynamics of thermosetting polymer networks. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1324–1332     

Effective Floquet Hamiltonian for spin I = 1 in magic angle spinning NMR using contact transformation

Contact transformation is an operator transformation method in time-independent perturbation theory which is used successfully in molecular spectroscopy to obtain an effective Hamiltonian. Floquet theory is used to transform the periodic time-dependent Hamiltonian, to a time-independent Floquet Hamiltonian. In this article contact transformation method has been used to get the analytical representation of Floquet Hamiltonian for quadrupolar nuclei with spin I = 1 in the presence of an RF field and first order quadrupolar interaction in magic angle spinning NMR experiments. The eigenvalues of contact transformed Hamiltonian as well as Floquet Hamiltonian have been calculated and a comparison is made between the eigenvalues obtained using the two Hamiltonians.     

A 93Nb Solid‐State NMR and Density Functional Theory Study of Four‐ and Six‐Coordinate Niobate Systems

A variable B₀ field static (broadline) NMR study of a large suite of niobate materials has enabled the elucidation of high‐precision measurement of ⁹³Nb NMR interaction parameters such as the isotropic chemical shift (δ_iso), quadrupole coupling constant and asymmetry parameter (C_Q and η_Q), chemical shift span/anisotropy and skew/asymmetry (Ω/Δδ and κ/η_δ) and Euler angles (α, β, γ) describing the relative orientation of the quadrupolar and chemical shift tensorial frames. These measurements have been augmented with ab initio DFT calculations by using WIEN2k and NMR‐CASTEP codes, which corroborate these reported values. Unlike previous assertions made about the inability to detect CSA (chemical shift anisotropy) contributions from Nb^V in most oxo environments, this study emphasises that a thorough variable B₀ approach coupled with the VOCS (variable offset cumulative spectroscopy) technique for the acquisition of undistorted broad (?1/2?+1/2) central transition resonances facilitates the unambiguous observation of both quadrupolar and CSA contributions within these ⁹³Nb broadline data. These measurements reveal that the ⁹³Nb electric field gradient tensor is a particularly sensitive measure of the immediate and extended environments of the Nb^V positions, with C_Q values in the 0 to >80 MHz range being measured; similarly, the δ_iso (covering an approximately 250 ppm range) and Ω values (covering a 0 to approximately 800 ppm range) characteristic of these niobate systems are also sensitive to structural disposition. However, their systematic rationalisation in terms of the Nb? O bond angles and distances defining the immediate Nb^V oxo environment is complicated by longer‐range influences that usually involve other heavy elements comprising the structure. It has also been established in this study that the best computational method(s) of analysis for the ⁹³Nb NMR interaction parameters generated here are the all‐electron WIEN2k and the gauge included projector augmented wave (GIPAW) NMR‐CASTEP DFT approaches, which account for the short‐ and long‐range symmetries, periodicities and interaction‐potential characteristics for all elements (and particularly the heavy elements) in comparison with Gaussian 03 methods, which focus on terminated portions of the total structure.