Imidazoline biradical spin labels with EPR spectral sensitivity to the local concentration of protons

EPR spectral sensitivity of the three biradicals of imidazoline and imidazolidine types to the local concentration of protons (pH) in aqueous solutions has been studied. Significant increase ing-factor (Δg ≈ 0.0002) and decrease in hyperfine interaction constant (Δa_N = 0.8?1.2 G) upon the protonation of atom N-3 of the radical heterocycle were observed. The pH dependence of a_N andg- factor is described by conventional titration curve with one or two pK values. The latter case was explained by nonindependent protonation of two monoradical fragments closely located in the biradical structure. EPR spectra of protonated and deprotonated forms of the biradicals have significantly different intensities of “biradical” components, I_b, reflecting changes in spin exchange interaction. It has been found that activation energy of spin exchange, E_a, estimated from temperature dependence of I_b in glycerol/water solution is lower for the biradical conformation with larger I_b. This is in agreement with main contribution of direct collisions of monoradical fragments in spin exchange interaction so larger value of I_b corresponds to the conformation with less spatial restrictions for the motion of monoradical fragments (lower E_a). The potential use of the pH-sensitive biradicals as spin labels is discussed.     

HYSCORE and DEER with an upgraded 95GHz pulse EPR spectrometer

The set-up of a new microwave bridge for a 95 GHz pulse EPR spectrometer is described. The virtues of the bridge are its simple and flexible design and its relatively high output power (0.7 W) that generates pi pulses of 25 ns and a microwave field, B(1)=0.71 mT. Such a high B(1) enhances considerably the sensitivity of high field double electron-electron resonance (DEER) measurements for distance determination, as we demonstrate on a nitroxide biradical with an interspin distance of 3.6 nm. Moreover, it allowed us to carry out HYSCORE (hyperfine sublevel-correlation) experiments at 95 GHz, observing nuclear modulation frequencies of 14N and 17O as high as 40 MHz. This opens a new window for the observation of relatively large hyperfine couplings, yet not resolved in the EPR spectrum, that are difficult to observe with HYSCORE carried out at conventional X-band frequencies. The correlations provided by the HYSCORE spectra are most important for signal assignment, and the improved resolution due to the two dimensional character of the experiment provides 14N quadrupolar splittings.     

Determination of the 14N quadrupole coupling constant of nitroxide spin probes by W-band ELDOR-detected NMR

Nitroxide spin probe electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) has proven to be a very successful method to probe local polarity and solvent hydrogen bonding properties at the molecular level. The g(xx) and the (14)N hyperfine A(zz) principal values are the EPR parameters of the nitroxide spin probe that are sensitive to these properties and are therefore monitored experimentally. Recently, the (14)N quadrupole interaction of nitroxides has been shown to be also highly sensitive to polarity and H-bonding (A. Savitsky et al., J. Phys. Chem. B 112 (2008) 9079). High-field electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) was used successfully to determine the P(xx) and P(yy) principal components of the (14)N quadrupole tensor. The P(zz) value was calculated from the traceless character of the quadrupole tensor. We introduce here high-field (W-band, 95 GHz, 3.5 T) electron-electron double resonance (ELDOR)-detected NMR as a method to obtain the (14)N P(zz) value directly, together with A(zz). This is complemented by W-band hyperfine sublevel correlation (HYSCORE) measurements carried out along the g(xx) direction to determine the principal P(xx) and P(yy) components. Through measurements of TEMPOL dissolved in solvents of different polarities, we show that A(zz) increases, while |P(zz)| decreases with polarity, as predicted by Savitsky et al.     

Regularities of the spin exchange coupling through a bridge in nitroxide biradicals

The current state, achievements, problems and prospects of the intramolecular electron spin exchange interaction as a function of the nitroxide biradical composition and structure, type of the radical ring, temperature and the solvent nature are considered on the basis of the literature data and the results of our own experiments.     

氮氧自由基中的多光子化学反应(Ⅰ)

在不同光源照射下,作者利用乙基亚硝基有机化合物在乙醇溶剂下,产生双光子的化学反应,用电子自旋共振吸收谐振腔为反应器.在不同的流速下,生成3种同分异构自由基.其结构由电子自旋共振光谱确定、微观的氢键跳动频率由不同波形的氮核超精细偶合常数的变化而确定、利用Charm软件计算,确定β-氢超精细偶合常数的意义及其几何形状.     

Features of spin exchange in nitroxide biradicals in the ionic liquid bmimPF<Subscript>6</Subscript>

The intramolecular electron spin exchange has been studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (bmimPF₆) for various nitroxide biradicals as a function of temperature and the nature of the connecting bridge between two >NO^· centers. Temperature variations of the isotropic nitrogen hyperfine splitting constant a and exchange integral values |J/a| were measured from EPR spectra and analyzed. Thermodynamic parameters of the conformational rearrangements were obtained. The spin exchange in rigid and flexible biradicals dissolved in the ionic liquid bmimPF₆ was compared with that in toluene solutions. Interesting features of the spin exchange in biradicals in ionic liquid were observed and explained as a result of the specific intramolecular conformational transitions. The first example of a rather rigid biradical molecule becoming flexible under the influence of an ionic liquid is reported.     

Benzoic acid and phenol derivatives of nitronyl nitroxide biradical as building blocks of organic molecule-based ferrimagnets

A crystal-engineering approach to organic ferrimagnets is reported. Coulombic energy between an anionic biradical withS = 1 and a cationic monoradical withS = 1/2 can be utilized as a driving force of cocrystallization of open-shell molecules with different spin quantum numbers, leading to organic salt ferrimagnets. In this study, 3,5-substituted phenol and benzoic acid derivatives of nitronyl nitroxide biradicals were synthesized as an ionizableS = 1 component of organic salt ferrimagnets. The molecular ground states of the biradicals in the neutral state were examined by continuous wave electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy and static paramagnetic susceptibility measurements in the solid state. The molecular ground state of the phenol derivative was found to be triplet (S = 1) with the singlet-triplet energy gap of ΔE/k_B ≈ 25 K, indicating that the biradical can be a building block of organic salt ferrimagnetics. The benzoic acid derivative was found to have a singlet (S = 0) ground state (ΔE/k_B ≧ −5 K), exemplifying thatmeta-(3,5)-linkage of unpaired electrons in π-aromatic rings does not necessarily give a triplet ground state for heteroatomic-substituted π conjugation. The molecular ground states of the biradicals determined in the ESR experiments were confirmed by the susceptibility in the solid state.     

Behavior of Short Nitroxide Biradical in Room Temperature Ionic Liquids

The intramolecular electron spin exchange in short nitroxide biradical O=S(OR₆)₂ (I), where OR₆ is 1-oxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-oxypiperidine, dissolved in the room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (omimPF₆), 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (omimBF₄), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (bmimBF₄), and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (emimBF₄) has been studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy as a function of temperature. Temperature variations of the isotropic nitrogen hyperfine splitting constant a were measured from EPR spectra. Thermodynamic parameters of the conformational rearrangements were calculated and compared with literature data. These intramolecular movements in rather rigid short-chain biradical I dissolved in four different RTILs are described well by the Debye–Stokes–Einstein law. Unrestricted density-functional-theory calculations of the geometry and electronic structure of the biradical were carried out using the ORCA program package, and showed that the O=S< group is available for the interaction with anions and cations of RTIL. The possible mechanism of such conformational transitions in biradical I in RTIL is discussed.     

Molecular orbital study of polarity and hydrogen bonding effects on the g and hyperfine tensors of site directed NO spin labelled bacteriorhodopsin

Semiempirical molecular orbital methods (PM3, INDO, ZINDO/S) have been used to calculate the effects of local electric fields and of hydrogen bonding on the g and hyperfine tensors of a nitroxide spin label model system. The results yield a linear correlation between the two principal tensor components g _xx and A ^N _zz at label sites of varying polarity. Hydrogen bonding with a single water molecule produces a constant shift of Δg _xx ? ?4 × 10^?4. These theoretical results are used to interpret recent high field (3.4 T, 95 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance investigations on site-directed spin labelled bacteriorhodopsin. This protein reveals a close correlation between proticity and polarity at the various label sites. The slope of the g _xx versus A ^N _zz dependence is affected strongly by polarity induced structural strains of the spin label.     

Features of Spin Exchange in Short-Chain Nitroxide Biradicals in Ionic Liquids

The intramolecular electron spin exchange has been studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in the room temperature ionic liquids (RTIL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (bmimPF₆) and 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (omimBF₄) for three nitroxide biradicals with analogous structures of the connecting bridge between two >N–O· centers as a function of temperature. Temperature variations of the isotropic nitrogen hyperfine splitting constant a, and exchange integral values |J/a| were determined from EPR spectra and analyzed. Thermodynamic parameters of the conformational rearrangements were obtained. The spin exchange in rather rigid short-chain biradicals dissolved in omimBF₄ and bmimPF₆ was compared with that in toluene solutions. Interesting features of the spin exchange in biradicals in RTIL were observed and explained as a result of the specific intramolecular conformational transitions. Examples when rather rigid biradical molecules become flexible under an influence of RTIL are reported.     

Theoretical spin density in nitroxides

The evolution of the hyperfine tensors in the nitroxide series with increasing alkyl substitution on the NO group has been studied theoretically for radicals from H₂NO to C₅H₁₀NO. A projection technique has been applied to the UHF wave-functions in order to correct spin densities for quartet contamination. The magnitude of the isotropic and anisotropic couplings reflects the substitution effect already observed on the spin distribution maps, that is a spin transfer from oxygen to nitrogen when alkyl groups are substituted to hydrogens in H₂NO. The alternation of the signs of the couplings along the chain as well as the cos² γ law for the coupling constants of atoms (C or H) in β position are verified in the series. The orientation of the anisotropic tensors with respect to the chemical bonds depends on the position of the atoms in the molecule (radical site, α, β positions); it is not affected by further substitution, except for strongly asymmetric configurations.     

Two-dimensional hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy: powder features for S=1/2, I=1

The lineshapes of two-dimensional magnetic resonance spectra of disordered or partially ordered solids are dominated by ridges of singularities in the frequency plane. The positions of these ridges are described by a branch of mathematics known as catastrophe theory concerning the mapping of one 2D surface onto another. We systematically consider the characteristics of HYSCORE spectra for paramagnetic centers having electron spin S=1/2 and nuclear spin I=1 in terms of singularities using an exact solution of the nuclear spin Hamiltonian. The lineshape characteristics are considered for several general cases: zero nuclear quadrupole coupling; isotropic hyperfine but arbitrary nuclear quadrupole couplings; coincident principal axes for the nuclear hyperfine and quadrupole tensors; and the general case of arbitrary nuclear quadrupole and hyperfine tensors. The patterns of singularities in the HYSCORE spectra are described for each case.     

Intensity of cross-peaks in hyscore spectra of S = 1/2, I = 1/2 spin systems

The cross-peak intensity for a S = 1/2, I = 1/2 spin system in two-dimensional HYSCORE spectra of single-crystals and powders is analyzed. There is a fundamental difference between these two cases. For single crystals, the cross-peak intensity is distributed between the two (+, +) and (+, -) quadrants of the hyperfine sublevel correlation (HYSCORE) spectrum by the ratio c(2):s(2) (C. Gemperle, G. Aebli, A. Schweiger, and R. R. Ernst, J. Magn. Reson. 88, 241 (1990)). However, for powder spectra another factor becomes dominant and governs cross-peak intensities in the two quadrants. This factor is the phase interference between modulation from different orientations of the paramagnetic species. This can lead to essentially complete disappearance of the cross-peak in one of the two (+, +) or (+, -) quadrants. In the (+, +) quadrant, cross-peaks oriented parallel to the main (positive) diagonal of the HYSCORE spectrum are suppressed, while the opposite is true in the (+, -) quadrant where cross-peaks nearly perpendicular to the main (negative) diagonal of HYSCORE spectra are suppressed. Analytical expressions are derived for the cross-peak intensity profiles in powder HYSCORE spectra for both axial and nonaxial hyperfine interactions (HFI). The intensity is a product of two terms, one depending only on experimental parameter (tau) and the other only on the spin Hamiltonian. This separation provides a rapid way to choose tau for maximum cross-peak intensity in a region of interest in the spectrum. For axial HFI, the Hamiltonian-dependent term has only one maximum and decreases to zero at the canonical orientations. For nonaxial HFI, this term produces three separate ridges which outline the whole powder lineshape. These three ridges have the majority of the intensity in the HYSCORE spectrum. The intensity profile of each ridge resembles that observed for axial HFI. Each ridge defines two principal values of the HFI similar to the ridges from an axial HFI.     

The electron spin resonance spectrum of NH(SO3 -) in γ-irradiated potassium sulphamate

The electron spin resonance spectrum of the radical NH(SO₃ ^- trapped in a single crystal of potassium sulphamate is interpreted. The hyperfine couplings for the hydrogen and nitrogen nuclei are given. The radical is planar, the unpaired electron occupying an orbital of π symmetry being predominantly a nitrogen 2p orbital.     

Properties of the HYSCORE spin echo signal

In hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy (HYSCORE), the finite duration of the microwave pulses leads to an incomplete inversion of the electron spin magnetization by the third pulse, which results in a significant admixture of stimulated ESEEM to HYSCORE ESEEM. This virtually unavoidable contribution of stimulated ESEEM seriously hampers the analysis of the modulation amplitudes in HYSCORE. In this work, we analyze the properties of the spin echo signals contributing to the composite HYSCORE signal. Based on this analysis, we propose the strategies of HYSCORE data acquisition and processing that allow one to practically eliminate the contribution of the stimulated echo and make the HYSCORE ESEEM analyzable in quantitative terms.     

一种新型功能化双自由基的合成及EPR表征

新开发的双自由基(TN3)由全取代三苯甲基自由基(trityl)和氮氧自由基两部分组成.TN3的室温EPR谱图由4条不对称的宽谱线组成,具有典型的双自由基特征.以抗坏血酸作为模型化合物发现该双自由基能用来同时检测体系的氧化还原态和氧气浓度.     

E.P.R. of free radicals in an adamantane matrix

Benzyl radicals and the isoelectronic azabenzyl radicals were prepared in an adamantane matrix and their isotropic E.P.R. spectra observed and analysed. The proton hyperfine splittings were assigned by specific deuteration and by analogy with the benzyl radical. The spin density distribution is strongly affected by non-symmetrical nitrogen substitution, but is only weakly affected by symmetrical substitution. INDO calculations on the radicals predict only small deviations from the benzyl radical spin density distribution for all of the azabenzyl radicals. However, the trends in the experimental values can be rationalized in terms of the electronegativity difference between carbon and nitrogen and its effect on the molecular orbitals of benzyl radical. Furthermore the observed trend in the g values not only lends support to this view of the structure but also allows estimation of the approximate energy of the first nπ* excited states.     

Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization and molecular dynamics simulations using pyrroline and piperidine ring nitroxide radicals

The efficiency of Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) depends on the local dynamics modulating the dipolar coupling between the two interacting spins. By attaching nitroxide based spin labels to molecules and by measuring the ¹H DNP response of solvent water, information about the local hydration dynamics near the spin label can be obtained. However, there are two commonly used types of nitroxide ring structures; a pyrroline based and a piperidine based molecule. It is important to know when comparing different experiments, whether changes in DNP enhancements are due to changes in local hydration dynamics or because of the different spin label structures. In this study we investigate the key parameters affecting DNP signal enhancements for 3-carbamoyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-3-pyrrolin-1-oxyl, a 5-membered ring nitroxide radical, and for 4-oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy, a 6-membered ring nitroxide radical. Using X-Band DNP, field cycling relaxometry, and molecular dynamics simulations, we conclude that the key parameters affecting the DNP amplitude of the ¹H signal of water to be equal when using either nitroxide. Thus, experiments measuring hydration dynamics using either type of spin labels may be compared.     

Intensity of Cross-Peaks in Hyscore Spectra of S = 1/2, I = 1/2 Spin Systems

The cross-peak intensity for a S = 1/2, I = 1/2 spin system in two-dimensional HYSCORE spectra of single-crystals and powders is analyzed. There is a fundamental difference between these two cases. For single crystals, the cross-peak intensity is distributed between the two (+, +) and (+, −) quadrants of the hyperfine sublevel correlation (HYSCORE) spectrum by the ratio c²:s² (C. Gemperle, G. Aebli, A. Schweiger, and R. R. Ernst, J. Magn. Reson. 88, 241 (1990)). However, for powder spectra another factor becomes dominant and governs cross-peak intensities in the two quadrants. This factor is the phase interference between modulation from different orientations of the paramagnetic species. This can lead to essentially complete disappearance of the cross-peak in one of the two (+, +) or (+, −) quadrants. In the (+, +) quadrant, cross-peaks oriented parallel to the main (positive) diagonal of the HYSCORE spectrum are suppressed, while the opposite is true in the (+, −) quadrant where cross-peaks nearly perpendicular to the main (negative) diagonal of HYSCORE spectra are suppressed. Analytical expressions are derived for the cross-peak intensity profiles in powder HYSCORE spectra for both axial and nonaxial hyperfine interactions (HFI). The intensity is a product of two terms, one depending only on experimental parameter (τ) and the other only on the spin Hamiltonian. This separation provides a rapid way to choose τ for maximum cross-peak intensity in a region of interest in the spectrum. For axial HFI, the Hamiltonian-dependent term has only one maximum and decreases to zero at the canonical orientations. For nonaxial HFI, this term produces three separate ridges which outline the whole powder lineshape. These three ridges have the majority of the intensity in the HYSCORE spectrum. The intensity profile of each ridge resembles that observed for axial HFI. Each ridge defines two principal values of the HFI similar to the ridges from an axial HFI.     

The sign of the exchange interaction between triplet excited fullerene and nitroxide free radicals

The sign of the exchange interactionJ in a series of radical triplet pairs (RTPs), formed by a nitroxide free radical and a triplet excited fullerene, has been determined from the spin polarization of time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance spectra. Radical and fullerene are linked together by covalent bonds in different geometries. It is shown that the sign ofJ depends on the overlap between the orbital of nitroxide unpaired electron and the LUMO of fullerene, which is singly occupied in the excited triplet state. When the overlap does not vanish, a negative contribution toJ arises from the admixing of a charge transfer structure in the wave function of the excited doublet state D* of the RTP, which does not take place in the excited quartet state Q*. The mixing of D* and Q* states lowers the energy of the former spin state and gives antiferromagnetic coupling.