NMR studies of water in polyimide films

Commercial polyimide films containing up to ～ 3 wt % water have been studied by proton, deuteron, and oxygen-17 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Comparisons between NMR results and previous dielectric relaxation (DR) results for a variety of Kapton films show that there is a one-to-one correspondence between specific dielectric loss peaks and features of the ²H or ¹⁷O NMR spectra. It is concluded that water molecules, which interact only weakly with the polymer, reside in the polyimide matrix in two configurations, randomly oriented single molecules and chains of water molecules oriented perpendicular to the plane of the film. The correspondence between NMR and DR observed in water in Kapton extends to water in Upilex and to methanol and acetic acid in Kapton. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A solid-state 17O NMR study of L -phenylalanine and L -valine hydrochlorides

We have presented an experimental investigation of the oxygen-17 chemical shielding (CS) and electric-field-gradient (EFG) tensors for alpha-COOH groups in polycrystalline amino acid hydrochlorides. The 17O CS and EFG tensors including the relative orientations between the two NMR tensors are determined in [17O]-L-phenylalanine hydrochloride and [17O]-L-valine hydrochloride by the analysis of the 17O magic-angle-spinning (MAS) and stationary NMR spectra obtained at 9.4, 11.7, 16.4, and 21.8 T. The quadrupole coupling constants (CQ) and the span of the CS tensors are found to be 8.41-8.55 MHz and 7.35-7.41MHz, and 548-570 ppm and 225-231 ppm, for carbonyl and hydroxyl oxygen atoms, respectively. Extensive quantum chemical calculations using density functional theory (DFT) have been also carried out for a hydrogen-bonding model. It is demonstrated that the behavior of the dependence of hydrogen-bond distances on 17O NMR tensors for the halogen ions is different from those for the water molecule.     

17O nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of water bound to a metal ion: a gadolinium(III) case study

Rotational correlation times of metal ion aqua complexes can be determined from 17O NMR relaxation rates if the quadrupole coupling constant of the bound water oxygen-17 nucleus is known. The rotational correlation time is an important parameter for the efficiency of Gd3+ complexes as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents. Using a combination of density functional theory with classical and Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations we performed a computational study of the 17O quadrupole coupling constants in model aqua ions and the [Gd(DOTA)(H2O)]- complex used in clinical diagnostics. For the inner sphere water molecule in the [Gd(DOTA)(H2O)]- complex the determined quadrupole coupling parameter chi square root of (1 + eta2/3) of 8.7 MHz is very similar to that of the liquid water (9.0 MHz). Very close values were also predicted for the the homoleptic aqua ions of Gd3+ and Ca2+. We conclude that the 17O quadrupole coupling parameters of water molecules coordinated to closed shell and lanthanide metal ions are similar to water molecules in the liquid state.     

Pure rotational spectra of LuF and LuCl

The pure rotational spectra of two isotopic species of LuF and three of LuCl have been measured in the frequency range 5-17 GHz using a cavity pulsed jet Fourier transform microwave spectrometer. The samples were prepared by laser ablation of Lu metal in the presence of SF(6) or Cl(2), and stabilized in supersonic jets of Ar. Spectra of molecules in states having v= 0, 1, and 2 have been measured, to produce rotational constants and centrifugal distortion constants, along with hyperfine constants for all the nuclei. Dunham-type fits for LuCl produced a Born-Oppenheimer breakdown parameter for Cl. Although a theoretical calculation showed that Lu in LuCl should have a significant field shift effect parameter, it could not be determined from the spectrum. Equilibrium internuclear distances, r(e), and dissociation energies have been evaluated for both molecules. The nuclear quadrupole coupling constants are discussed in terms of the molecular electronic structure.     

The study for the incipient solvation process of NaCl in water: the observation of the NaCl-(H2O)n (n = 1, 2, and 3) complexes using Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy

Pure rotational spectra of the sodium chloride-water complexes, NaCl-(H(2)O)(n) (n = 1, 2, and 3), in the vibronic ground state have been observed by a Fourier- transform microwave spectrometer coupled with a laser ablation source. The (37)Cl-isotopic species and a few deuterated species have also been observed. From the analyses of the spectra, the rotational constants, the centrifugal distortion constants, and the nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of the Na and Cl nuclei were determined precisely for all the species. The molecular structures of NaCl-(H(2)O)(n) were determined using the rotational constants and the molecular symmetry. The charge distributions around Na and Cl nuclei in NaCl are dramatically changed by the complex formation with H(2)O. Prominent dependences of the bond lengths r(Na-Cl) on the number of H(2)O were also observed. By a comparison with results of theoretical studies, it is shown that the structure of NaCl-(H(2)O)(3) is approaching to that of the contact ion-pair, which is considered to be an intermediate species in the incipient solvation process.     

The isotropic nuclear magnetic shielding constants of acetone in supercritical water: a sequential Monte Carlo/quantum mechanics study including solute polarization

The nuclear isotropic shielding constants sigma((17)O) and sigma((13)C) of the carbonyl bond of acetone in water at supercritical (P=340.2 atm and T=673 K) and normal water conditions have been studied theoretically using Monte Carlo simulation and quantum mechanics calculations based on the B3LYP6-311++G(2d,2p) method. Statistically uncorrelated configurations have been obtained from Monte Carlo simulations with unpolarized and in-solution polarized solute. The results show that solvent effects on the shielding constants have a significant contribution of the electrostatic interactions and that quantitative estimates for solvent shifts of shielding constants can be obtained modeling the water molecules by point charges (electrostatic embedding). In supercritical water, there is a decrease in the magnitude of sigma((13)C) but a sizable increase in the magnitude of sigma((17)O) when compared with the results obtained in normal water. It is found that the influence of the solute polarization is mild in the supercritical regime but it is particularly important for sigma((17)O) in normal water and its shielding effect reflects the increase in the average number of hydrogen bonds between acetone and water. Changing the solvent environment from normal to supercritical water condition, the B3LYP6-311++G(2d,2p) calculations on the statistically uncorrelated configurations sampled from the Monte Carlo simulation give a (13)C chemical shift of 11.7+/-0.6 ppm for polarized acetone in good agreement with the experimentally inferred result of 9-11 ppm.     

1H-17O nuclear quadrupole double resonance in phenylphosphinic acid and phenylphosphonic acid. 17O quadrupole coupling in P = O and P-O-H bonds

The (17)O nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) frequencies have been measured in phenylphosphinic acid and phenylphosphonic acid using nuclear quadrupole double resonance. The quadrupole coupling constants have been determined with an uncertainty of +/- 10 kHz and the asymmetry parameter eta with an uncertainty of +/- 0.01. The results are compared to the published results of the theoretical calculation and the high-field solid-state NMR measurements. The position of hydrogen in the O-H...O hydrogen bond in phenylphosphinic acid has also been determined. On the basis of the present and the previously published data we show that the principal values of the electric-field-gradient tensor in P = O and P-O-H bonds correlate. A correlation between the nuclear quadrupole parameters and the length of the P-O bond is also observed.     

Selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry analyses of stable isotopes in water: Isotopic composition of H3O+ and H3O+(H2O)3 ions in exchange reactions with water vapor

A new method has been developed for the determination of the isotope abundance ratios of deuterium, D, and oxygen-18, 18O, in water vapor (and water) using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS). H3O+ ions are injected into the helium carrier gas where they associate with the H2O and HDO molecules in a sample of water introduced into the carrier gas. The D and 18O contents of the product cluster ions H8DO4+ and H9(18)OO3+ at m/e = 74 and 75, respectively, are determined by reference to the majority cluster ion H9O4+ at m/e = 73. Allowance is made for the contribution of the H8(17)OO3+ ions to the m/z = 74 ions. Absolute isotopic ratios are measured within seconds without the need for precalibration of the SIFT-MS instrument, currently to an accuracy of better than 2%.     

Microwave spectra, geometries, and hyperfine constants of OCAgX (X = F, Cl, Br)

A pulsed jet cavity Fourier transform microwave spectrometer has been used to measure the rotational spectra of OCAgX (X = F, Cl, Br) in the frequency range 5-22 GHz. Metal atoms were generated via laser ablation and were allowed to react with CO and a halide precursor, prior to stabilization of the products within a supersonic jet of argon. These are the first experimental observations of OCAgF and OCAgBr, and the first high resolution spectroscopic study of OCAgCl. All three molecules are linear. Accurately determined rotational constants have been used to evaluate the various internuclear distances, which are found to be consistent with trends established for OCAuX and OCCuX species. The C-O distances are short, and the M-C distances are significantly longer than those in other molecules containing a metal-carbonyl bond. Precise values of centrifugal distortion constants and halogen nuclear quadrupole coupling constants have also been determined. The coupling constants are compared with the results of previous studies of OCCuX and OCAuX and are used to infer trends in the electron distributions of the molecules. Ab initio calculations have been performed and employed to predict the geometries, vibrational frequencies, and Mulliken valence orbital populations of the various species.     

Rotational spectra of the Xe-(H2O)2 van der Waals trimer: xenon as a probe of electronic structure and dynamics

Rotational spectra of three isotopomers of the Xe-(H2O)2 van der Waals trimer were recorded using a pulsed-nozzle, Fourier transform microwave spectrometer. Nine [nine, four] a-type and twelve [eleven, seven] b-type transitions were measured for the 132Xe-(H2O)2 [129Xe-(H2O)2, 131Xe-(H2O)2] isotopomer. The determined rotational and centrifugal distortion constants were used to extract information about the structure and vibrational motions of the complex. The nuclear quadrupole hyperfine structures due to the 131Xe (nuclear spin quantum number I=3/2) nucleus were also detected. The large value of the off-diagonal nuclear quadrupole coupling constant chiab in particular provides detailed insight into the electronic environment of the xenon atom and the orientations of the water molecules within the complex. An effective structure that best reproduces the experimental 131Xe nuclear quadrupole coupling constants is rationalized by ab initio calculations. An overall goal of this line of work is to determine how the successive solvation of a xenon atom with water molecules affects the xenon electron distribution and its intermolecular interactions. The results may provide molecular level interpretations of 129Xe NMR data from, for example, imaging experiments.     

Hydrogen bond geometries from electron paramagnetic resonance and electron-nuclear double resonance parameters: density functional study of quinone radical anion-solvent interactions

Density functional theory was used to study the impact of hydrogen bonding on the p-benzosemiquinone radical anion BQ(*-) in coordination with water or alcohol molecules. After complete geometry optimizations, (1)H, (13)C, and (17)O hyperfine as well as (2)H nuclear quadrupole coupling constants and the g-tensor were computed. The suitability of different model systems with one, two, four, and 20 water molecules was tested; best agreement between theory and experiment could be obtained for the largest model system. Q-band pulse (2)H electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) experiments were performed on BQ(*-) in D(2)O. They compare very well with the spectra simulated by use of the theoretical values from density functional theory. For BQ(*-) in coordination with four water or alcohol molecules, rather similar hydrogen-bond lengths between 1.75 and 1.78 A were calculated. Thus, the computed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) parameters are hardly distinguishable for the different solvents, in agreement with experimental findings. Furthermore, the distance dependence of the EPR parameters on the hydrogen-bond length was studied. The nuclear quadrupole and the dipolar hyperfine coupling constants of the bridging hydrogens show the expected dependencies on the H-bond length R(O.H). A correlation was obtained for the g-tensor. It is shown that the point-dipole model is suitable for the estimation of hydrogen-bond lengths from anisotropic hyperfine coupling constants of the bridging (1)H nuclei for H-bond lengths larger than approximately 1.7 A. Furthermore, the estimation of H-bond lengths from (2)H nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of bridging deuterium nuclei by empirical relations is discussed.     

Quadrupole central transition 17O NMR spectroscopy of biological macromolecules in aqueous solution

We demonstrate a general nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic approach in obtaining high-resolution (17)O (spin-5/2) NMR spectra for biological macromolecules in aqueous solution. This approach, termed quadrupole central transition (QCT) NMR, is based on the multiexponential relaxation properties of half-integer quadrupolar nuclei in molecules undergoing slow isotropic tumbling motion. Under such a circumstance, Redfield's relaxation theory predicts that the central transition, m(I) = +1/2 ? -1/2, can exhibit relatively long transverse relaxation time constants, thus giving rise to relatively narrow spectral lines. Using three robust protein-ligand complexes of size ranging from 65 to 240 kDa, we have obtained (17)O QCT NMR spectra with unprecedented resolution, allowing the chemical environment around the targeted oxygen atoms to be directly probed for the first time. The new QCT approach increases the size limit of molecular systems previously attainable by solution (17)O NMR by nearly 3 orders of magnitude (1000-fold). We have also shown that, when both quadrupole and shielding anisotropy interactions are operative, (17)O QCT NMR spectra display an analogous transverse relaxation optimized spectroscopy type behavior in that the condition for optimal resolution depends on the applied magnetic field. We conclude that, with the currently available moderate and ultrahigh magnetic fields (14 T and higher), this (17)O QCT NMR approach is applicable to a wide variety of biological macromolecules. The new (17)O NMR parameters so obtained for biological molecules are complementary to those obtained from (1)H, (13)C, and (15)N NMR studies.     

Solvent effects on one-bond B-Li coupling constants in boryllithium compounds

EOM-CCSD 11B-7Li coupling constants and B chemical shifts have been computed for Li-diazaborole and its complexes with one H2O or FLi molecule. B-Li coupling constants for a model compound H(2)BLi and its complexes with up to 4 H2O or FLi molecules have also been obtained in an attempt to resolve discrepancies between the computed values of these properties for isolated Li-diazaborole and experimentally determined values for boryllithium in a THF solution. The presence of solvent molecules increases the ion-pair character of the B-Li bond, with the result that 1J(B-Li) decreases systematically as the basicity and the number of solvent molecules increases. In the presence of even a single solvent molecule, the boron chemical shift for Li-diazaborole increases, and approaches the experimental value. The computed results emphasize the role of the solvent in determining these NMR properties.     

Investigation of water bound to photosystem I with multiquantum filtered 17 O nuclear magnetic resonance

A new analytical approach was developed to characterize the properties of water molecules bound to macromolecules in solution using 17 O nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation. A combination of conventional (single-quantum) and triple-quantum filtered Hahn echo and inversion recovery measurements was employed. From measured relaxation rate constants, the fraction and the correlation time of bound H2 17 O molecules and the relaxation rate constant of bulk water in solution were calculated. This was done by solving analytically a set of nonlinear equations describing the overall relaxation rate constants in the presence of chemical exchange between bulk and bound water. The analytical approach shows the uniqueness of the solution for a given set of three relaxation rate constants. This important result sheds light on the data reduction problem from 17 O NMR experiments on biological systems. Water bound in photosystem I isolated from the wild type and rubA variant of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis species PCC 7002 was investigated for the first time. The analysis revealed that photosystem I isolated from the wild type binds 1720+/-110 water molecules, whereas photosystem I isolated from the rubA variant binds only 1310+/-170. The accuracy of the method proposed can be increased by further 17 O enrichment. The methodology, established for the first time in this work, allows the study of a diverse range of biological samples regardless of their size and molecular weight. Applied initially to photosystem I, this novel method has important consequences for the future investigation of the assembly of biological molecules.     

Nuclear quadrupole hyperfine structure in the microwave spectrum of HCl-N2O: electric field gradient perturbation of N2O by HCl

The microwave spectra of six isotopomers of HCl-N(2)O have been obtained in the 7-19 GHz region with a pulsed molecular beam, Fourier transform microwave spectrometer. The nuclear quadrupole hyperfine structure due to all quadrupolar nuclei is resolved and the spectra are analyzed using the Watson S-reduced Hamiltonian with the inclusion of nuclear quadrupole coupling interactions. The spectroscopic constants determined include rotational constants, quartic and sextic centrifugal distortion constants, and nuclear quadrupole coupling constants for each quadrupolar nucleus. Due to correlations of the structural parameters, the effective structure of the complex cannot be obtained by fitting to the spectroscopic constants of the six isotopomers. Instead, the parameters for each isotopomer are calculated from the A and C rotational constants and the chlorine nuclear quadrupole coupling constant along the a-axis, chi(aa). There are two possible structures; the one in which hydrogen of HCl interacts with the more electronegative oxygen of N(2)O is taken to represent the complex. The two subunits are approximately slipped parallel. For H (35)Cl-(14)N(2)O, the distance between the central nitrogen and chlorine is 3.5153 A and the N(2)O and HCl subunits form angles of 72.30 degrees and 119.44 degrees with this N-Cl axis, respectively. The chlorine and oxygen atoms occupy the opposite, obtuse vertices of the quadrilateral formed by O, central N, Cl, and H. Nuclear quadrupole coupling constants show that while the electric field gradient of the HCl subunit remains essentially unchanged upon complexation, there is electronic rearrangement about the two nitrogen nuclei in N(2)O.     

Nuclear magnetic shielding constants of liquid water: insights from hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics models

We present a gauge-origin independent method for the calculation of nuclear magnetic shielding tensors of molecules in a structured and polarizable environment. The method is based on a combination of density functional theory (DFT) or Hartree-Fock wave functions with molecular mechanics. The method is unique in the sense that it includes three important properties that need to be fulfilled in accurate calculations of nuclear magnetic shielding constants: (i) the model includes electron correlation effects, (ii) the model uses gauge-including atomic orbitals to give gauge-origin independent results, and (iii) the effect of the environment is treated self-consistently using a discrete reaction-field methodology. The authors present sample calculations of the isotropic nuclear magnetic shielding constants of liquid water based on a large number of solute-solvent configurations derived from molecular dynamics simulations employing potentials which treat solvent polarization either explicitly or implicitly. For both the (17)O and (1)H isotropic shielding constants the best predicted results compare fairly well with the experimental data, i.e., they reproduce the experimental solvent shifts to within 4 ppm for the (17)O shielding and 1 ppm for the (1)H shielding.     

Rotational spectra, structures, hyperfine constants, and the nature of the bonding of KrCuF and KrCuCl

Rotational spectra of KrCuF and KrCuCl have been measured in the frequency range 8-18 GHz, using a pulsed jet cavity Fourier transform microwave spectrometer. The molecules were prepared by ablating Cu metal with a pulsed Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm) and allowing the plasma to react with appropriate precursors (Kr plus SF(6) or Cl(2)) contained in the backing gas of the jet (Ar or Kr). Rotational constants, internuclear distances, vibration frequencies, and (83)Kr, Cu, and Cl nuclear quadrupole coupling constants have all been evaluated. The Kr-Cu bonds are short and the complexes are rigid. The (83)Kr coupling constant of KrCuF is large (128.8 MHz). The Cu nuclear quadrupole coupling constants differ radically from those of uncomplexed CuF and CuCl molecules. The results are supported by those of ab initio calculations, which have also yielded Mulliken populations, MOLDEN plots of valence molecular orbitals and Laplace concentrations, and electron localization functions. The results are consistent with those reported earlier for other noble gas-noble metal halide complexes. The results have been used to assess the nature of the bonding in the complexes and have produced good evidence for weak noble gas-noble metal chemical bonding.     

Studies on the biosynthesis of corrinoids and porphyrinoids. I. The labeling of oxygen of vitamin B12

Recently the amide-oxygen has been suggested to participate in the formation of the corrin ring of vitamin B12. To confirm this hypothesis, 17O-labeled aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was prepared and administered to Propionibacterium shermanii. The isolated vitamin B12 showed only broad 17O signals in the oxygen-17 nuclear magnetic resonance (17O-NMR) spectrum. However, distinct isotope-shifted peaks were observed in the 13C-NMR spectrum of vitamin B12 isolated after incorporation of [1-13C:1,4-18O2]ALA. Of these shifted peaks, one peak (C27) showed very low intensity. This indicates that dilution of 18O occurred at the acetyl chain of the A ring of vitamin B12. This result supports the assumption that the lactone formation of the A ring promotes the ring contraction, as proposed by Eschenmoser.     

Chiral discrimination via nuclear magnetic shielding polarisabilities from NMR spectroscopy: theoretical study of (R(a))-1,3-dimethylallene, (2R)-2-methyloxirane, and (2R)-N-methyloxaziridine

Three medium-size optically active molecules have been studied to make a guess at candidates suitable for chiral discrimination in an isotropic medium via nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The criterion for experimental detection is given by the magnitude of the isotropic part of nuclear magnetic shielding polarisability tensors, related to a pseudoscalar of opposite sign for the two enantiomers. The pseudoscalar shielding polarisability at the (17)O nucleus in N-methyloxaziridine, calculated at the Hartree-Fock level, is approximately 7.8 x10(-)(17) mV(-)(1). To obtain an experimentally observable magnetic field induced at the (17)O nucleus in N-methyloxaziridine, electric fields as large as approximately 10(7) - 10(8) Vm(-)(1) should be applied to the probe. The molecular electric dipole moment induced by precession of the magnetic dipole of the (17)O nucleus in a magnetic field of 10 T is, in absolute value, approximately 8.8 x 10(-)(42) Cm. The estimated rf-voltage at a resonance circuit is approximately 10 nV. Smaller values have been estimated for N, C, and H nuclei in 1,3-dimethylallene and 2-methyloxirane.     

An NMR relaxation study of hydrogen exchange and its deuterium isotope effects in aqueous carboxylic acid solutions

Exchange-rate measurements of water protons and deuterons in aqueous solutions of acetic, malonic and glutaric acid by the NMR T₂ Carr-Purcell method, employing oxygen-17-enriched water, are reported. In contrast to previous results on acetic-acid solutions, intermolecular proton exchange via solvent between COOH and COO^? groups is found to contribute considerably to the exchange rate for all three acids investigated. The rate constants necessary for the calculation of the proton residence time in the COOH groups have been determined. Observed deuterium isotope effects on the rate constants for hydrogen-ion and acetic-acid-catalyzed exchange are discussed in terms of fractionation-factor theory.