Computational 1H NMR: Part 1. Theoretical background

This is the first one of the three closely interrelated reviews to be published in Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry dealing with accordingly theoretical background, chemical applications, and biochemical studies of and by means of computational ¹H NMR. Presented in the first part of the review is a general outline of the modern theoretical methods and accuracy factors of computational ¹H NMR involving locally dense basis set schemes, solvent effects, vibrational corrections, and relativistic effects performed at the density functional theory and/or nonempirical levels. This review is dedicated to Prof. Stephan Sauer in view of his invaluable contribution to the field of computational nuclear magnetic resonance.     

Applicability of the H NMR chemical shifts computed by the ab initio/GIAO-HF methodology to the study of geometrical features of Zn-porphyrin dimers

Several porphyrin dimers have been newly designed and synthesized to construct assemblies with 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) as a bidentate binding ligand. Semi empirical (AM1) and ab initio calculations have been used to study the assemblies generated by the organization of dimers and DABCO, including the computation of ¹H NMR complexation-induced chemical shifts using the ab initio/GIAO methodology. The diagnostic capacity of the theoretical method has been applied to explain experimental results and geometrical features of the complexes.     

Ab initio and DFT calculations for the structure and vibrational spectra of cyclopentene and its isotopomers

Ab initio calculations using the MP2/cc-pVTZ basis set do an excellent job of predicting the inversion barrier (247 vs. 232 cm⁻¹) and dihedral angle (26°) of cyclopentene. DFT calculations also do an excellent job of predicting the vibrational frequencies of the d₀, d₁, d₄, and d₈ isotopomers. They have also allowed the reassignments of several of the vibrational frequencies.     

Ab initio calculations on the molecular structure of fluorocyanopolyynes

The molecular structure of the first three members of the fluorocyanopolyynes was studied by ab initio Hartree-Fock calculations with a polarized double zeta basis set and at MP2 level with the same basis set. Alternating triple and single bonds were found; a theoretical estimate of rotational constants and dipole moments was performed and a comparison with the available experimental data was made. An analysis of the theoretical vibrational frequencies of the title compounds was carried out.     

1-Boryl-3,4-dimethylphosphole trimer: Synthesis, crystal structure and quantum chemical calculations

A novel cycloadduct of 1-boryl-3,4-dimethylphosphole was prepared by reaction of 3,4-dimethylphospholyl anion with monobromoborane-methylsulfide complex (CH₃)₂S · BH₂Br at −60 °C. It was characterized as a six-membered trimer by spectroscopic means, and its structure confirmed by an X-ray crystal analysis and quantum chemical calculations. Density functional theory calculations (B3LYP) showed that the cyclic trimer is by far more stable than the monomer, dimers or open-chain forms. Various molecular and spectroscopic properties of the borylphosphole monomer and trimer were evaluated. In particular, the changes of the ³¹P NMR chemical shifts upon oligomerization were examined. The six-membered ring was demonstrated to exist preferentially in a chair-like conformation. Computed NMR chemical shifts (¹H, ¹³C and a lesser extent ³¹P) appear to be a highly sensitive analytical tool for distinguishing ring conformations having only small energy differences.     

Spatial structure and NMR spectra of strained [2.2.2]cyclophanes

The chemical shifts and coupling constants in the NMR spectra of the title compounds are influenced by their strain and the proximity of the aromatic rings. These parameters are studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations for 1–4 and measured for 3 and 4. We find that, in spite of the strain, the calculations reproduce the experimental values satisfactorily. This finding is of special importance for novel hypothetical molecules like hexahydrosuperphane 5 for their future identification and in searches of hydrocarbons exhibiting unusual NMR parameters. Our results demonstrate the influence of strain on the parameters studied. Most proton and carbon chemical shifts for the molecules under study having nonplanar aromatic rings differ considerably from the corresponding values for the relatively unstrained trimethylbenzenes and ethylbenzene. In addition, the calculated values of the coupling constants through three bonds in most cases do not follow Karplus relation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

<Superscript>1</Superscript>H and <Superscript>13</Superscript>C NMR spectra of some drimanic sesquiterpenoids

One- and two-dimensional homo- and heteronuclear correlation proton, carbon, proton—proton, and proton—carbon NMR spectra of fifteen drimanic sesquiterpenoids: 11,12-dibromodrima-5,8-dien-7-one, drim-8-en-7-one, 11-hydroxydrim-8-en-7-one, 11,12-dihydroxydrim-8-en-7-one, 11-hydroxy-11,12-epoxydrim-8-en-7-one, 11-hydroxy-11,12-epoxydrim-8-en-7-one, 8,9-epoxydriman-7-one, 8,9-epoxydriman-7-ol, 11,12-diacetoxydrim-8-en-7-ol, drimane-7,8,11-triol, 7,8-isopropylidenedioxydriman-11-al, 9, 11-dihydroxydrim-7-en-6-one, drimane-7,8,9-triol, drimane-7,8,11-triol, and drim-8-ene-7,11,12-triol were studied. The proton and carbon chemical shifts were assigned.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2589–2594, December, 2004.     

Calculations of 13C NMR chemical shifts and F–C coupling constants of ciprofloxacin

Ciprofloxacin is a widely used fluoroquinolone antibiotic. In this work, a comprehensive evaluation of MP2 and DFT with different functionals and basis sets was carried out to select the most suitable level of theory for the study of the NMR properties of ciprofloxacin. Their relative predictive capabilities were evaluated comparing the theoretically predicted and experimental spectral data. Our computational results indicated that in contrast to the solid state, the molecule of ciprofloxacin does not exist as a zwitterion in gaseous state. The results of the calculations of the chemical shifts most close to the experimental were obtained with B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ. The F–C coupling constants were calculated systematically with different DFT methods and several basis sets. In general, the calculations of the coupling constants with the BHandH computational method including the applied in this work 6-311++G**, EPRII, and EPRIII basis sets showed a good reproducibility of the experimental values of the coupling constants.     

An experimental and theoretical study of molecular structure and vibrational spectra of 2-chloronicotinic acid by density functional theory and ab initio Hartree–Fock calculations

In this work, the Fourier transform Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectra of 2-chloronicotinic acid (2-CNA) are recorded in the solid phase. The molecular geometry, vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities and Raman scattering activities of 2-CNA in ground state have been calculated by using ab initio Hartree–Fock (HF) and density functional (B3LYP and B3PW91) methods with 6-31G(d) and 6-311G(d) basis sets level. On the basis of the comparison between calculated and experimental results and the comparison with related molecule, assignments of fundamental vibrational modes are examined. The optimized geometric parameters (bond lengths and bond angles) obtained by using HF show the best agreement with the experimental values of 2-CNA. Comparison of the observed fundamental vibrational frequencies of 2-CNA and calculated results by density functional (B3LYP and B3PW91) and Hartree–Fock methods indicates that B3LYP is superior to the scaled Hartree–Fock and B3PW91 approach for molecular vibrational problems.     

Synthesis and molecular structure of the novel monohydrated 3-p-nitrophenylpyrazole derived from 1,3-diketone malonate

The synthesis of dimethyl {2-[3-(4-nitrophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-5-yl]ethyl}malonate monohydrate 1, C₁₆H₁₇N₃O₆·H₂O was performed and the molecular structure has been studied by using NMR, single crystal X-ray diffraction and ab initio calculations. The title compound presents a pyrazole ring (N1 to C5), a phenyl ring (C1″ to C6″) attached to C3 and the ethylene dimethyl malonate frame (C1′ to C7′) attached to C5. The torsion angle defined by N2C3C1″C2″ (−12.26°) showed that pyrazole and phenyl rings are not in the same plane. Monohydration in (1) is present in the structure by a NHOH₂ hydrogen bonding, with a bond length of 1.782 Å. Experimental and theoretical evidences indicated the preference of the 3-tautomer over the corresponding 5-tautomer in the titled pyrazole.     

Geometry,Vibrational and NMR Spectra of Icosahedral 1-Methylazacloso-dodecaborane

Geometry, vibrational and NMR spectra of the icosahedral aza-closo-dodecaborane MeNB₁₁H₁₁ are calculated by ab initio methods. The results are compared with experimental data. They are in accord with local C_5v symmetry of the cluster unit and local C_3v symmetry of the methyl group. The boron atoms B7–B11 are coupled to B12 by the small constant ¹J (¹¹B, ¹¹B) = 12 Hz.     

Genistein complexes with amines. Part II: ab initio study of the complexes with piperazine and triethylamine

The piperazine and triethylamine complexes of genistein, exhibiting high immunosuppressant activity, were ab initio modeled at RHF/6-31G^** level and results were compared with those obtained for genistein–morpholine complexes by X-ray, NMR, and theoretical methods. The most stable genistein–piperazine complex is formed due to hydrogen bonding of genistein's OH group at position C7 to piperazine's nitrogen atom. In the most stable genistein–triethylamine complex genistein's OH group at position C4′ (position para to phenyl substituent) and trimethylamine nitrogen atom are engaged in hydrogen bond formation. The calculations confirmed our previous NMR conclusion that piperazine is more strongly complexed by genistein than is morpholine or triethylamine. The theoretical ¹³C NMR spectra correlate fairly well with the experimental spectra.     

Structure and NMR spectra of cyclophanes with unsaturated bridges (cyclophenes)

The calculated structures of several known and hypothetical cyclophanes with ethylene bridges (cyclophenes) are reported together with experimental and calculated values of their NMR parameters. Of the exchange‐correlation functionals and basis sets used in this work, only the ωB97X‐D/6‐311++G(2d,2p) and ωB97X‐D/cc‐pVQZ yielded values of the C_sp3–C_sp3 bond length close to the experimental data, although significant differences still remain. As far as the NMR parameters are concerned, except for close‐lying signals, chemical shifts and coupling constants calculated at the ωB97X‐D/cc‐pVQZ level reproduce in most cases the experimental trends. Contrary to the calculations of geometries, an agreement between the values of the NMR parameters obtained at ωB97X‐D/cc‐pVQZ level and the experimental ones is the poorest compared with that of the ωB97X‐D/6‐311++G(2d,2p) one. Taking into account that the results of the different calculations show the same qualitative trends in most cases, we believe that they correctly describe the structure and properties of the hypothetical molecules studied here. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Torsional angular dependence of 1J(Se,Se) and Fermi contact control of 4J(Se,Se): analysis of nJ(Se,Se) (n=1-4) based on molecular orbital theory

(n)J(Se,Se) (n=1-4) nuclear couplings between Se atoms were analyzed by using molecular orbital (MO) theory as the first step to investigating the nature of bonded and nonbonded (n)J(Se,Se) interactions between Se atoms. The values were calculated by employing Slater-type triple xi basis sets at the DFT level, which were applied to structures optimized with the Gaussian 03 program. The contribution from each occupied MO (psi(i)) and psi(i)-->psi(a) (psi(a)=unoccupied MO) transition was evaluated separately. 1J(Se,Se) was calculated for the MeSeSeMe model compound, which showed a typical dependence on the torsion angle (phi(C(Me)SeSeC(Me))). This dependence explains the small values (< or =64 Hz) of 1Jobsd(Se,Se) observed for RSeSeR' and large values (330-380 Hz) of 1Jobsd(Se,Se) observed for 4-substituted naphtho[1,8-c,d]-1,2-diselenoles, which correspond to synperiplanar diselenides. The HOMO-->LUMO and HOMO-1-->LUMO transitions contribute the most to 1J(Se,Se) at phi=0 and 180 degrees to give large values of 1J(Se,Se), whereas various transitions contribute and cancel each other out at phi=90 degrees to give small values of 1J(Se,Se). Large 4Jobsd(Se,Se) values were also observed in the nonbonded Se...Se, Se...Se=O, and O=Se...Se=O interactions at naphthalene 1,8-positions. The Fermi contact (FC) term contributes significantly to 4J(Se,Se), whereas the paramagnetic spin-orbit (PSO) term contributes significantly to 1J(Se,Se). 2J(Se,Se) and 3J(Se,Se) were analyzed in a similar manner and a torsional angular dependence was confirmed for 3J(Se,Se). Depending on the structure, the main contribution to (n)J(Se,Se) (n=2, 3) is from the FC term, with a lesser contribution from the PSO term. Analysis of each transition enabled us to identify and clearly visualize the origin and mechanism of the couplings.     

A molecular mechanics and ab initio prediction of the 1H chemical shifts of pinanes

Molecular mechanics calculations plus the application of a refined Karplus equation gave the conformations of 19 pinanes. These range from a Y‐shaped geometry in the apopinene and α‐pinene series to a pseudo chair conformation in β‐pinene, nopinone and verbanone, a flattened chair in pinocarvone and the pinocarveols and a distorted Y shape for iso‐verbanone. These structures were then used as input to predict the ¹H chemical shifts of these compounds by semi‐empirical (¹H‐NMR spectra (HSPEC)) and ab initio gauge‐invariant atomic orbital (GIAO) calculations, the latter at the B3LYP hybrid density functional theory level using 6‐31++G** basis set. The two methods gave generally good agreement with the 184 observed shifts with root mean square (RMS) errors 0.07 ppm (HSPEC) and 0.10 ppm (GIAO), but the GIAO calculations gave several significant (>0.25 ppm) errors. One was for the H₃ proton in apopinenone and other α,β unsaturated ketones; the others occurred for protons in close proximity to hydroxyl groups. To provide more information, smaller analogues of known geometry and chemical shifts were subject to the same analysis. In cyclopentenone, the Gaussian geometry gave good agreement with the observed shifts, but the MMFF94, MMX and MM3 geometries all gave errors for different protons. These results show clearly that the molecular geometries of the α,β unsaturated ketones are responsible for the errors. The errors for the alcohols were examined using ethanol as model and were shown to be due to the different possible conformations of the OH group. Similar GIAO calculations on substituted methanes gave good agreement for the methyl compounds but poor agreement for di and tri halosubstituted methanes. The aforementioned method of molecular mechanics plus GIAO calculations is shown to be a very useful tool for the investigation of molecular geometries and conformations. However, multihalogen compounds may require different basis sets for accurate calculations. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

First principles calculations of electronic and optical properties of Ag2S

A theoretical study of structural, electronic and optical properties of Ag₂S is presented using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method within density functional theory (DFT). In this approach, the modified Becke Johnson (MBJ) potential coupled with Local Density Approximation (LDA) was used for the exchange-correlation potential calculation. Ground state properties are determined for the bulk material in monoclinic phase. Band structure reveals that this compound is a direct energy band gap semiconductor. MBJLDA results for the band gap of this compound are much better than those obtained using LDA, Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof generalized gradient approximation (PBE-GGA) and Engel–Vosko's GGA (EV-GGA). A very good agreement is observed between MBJLDA band gap and corresponding experimental values as compared to other calculations. Optical constants including the dielectric function, refractive index, extinction coefficient, electron energy loss function, reflectivity and absorption coefficient are obtained and discussed.     

Synthesis of new o-alkyl substituted arylalkylphosphanes: study of their molecular structure and influence on rhodium-catalyzed propene and 1-hexene hydroformylation

A set of new phosphane ligands designed to increase the branched-to-normal ratio of the hydroformylation reaction were prepared in the same way as the previously reported ortho-alkyl substituted arylphosphanes, which have shown increased i/n ratios in the hydroformylation of propene and 1-hexene. In order to determine the relationship between the catalytic behavior and stereoelectronic properties of the ligands, various functional alkyl groups (methyl, isopropyl, cyclohexyl) were placed on the phosphorus atom directly and in the ortho position of the phenyl ring connected to phosphorus. In the hydroformylation reaction of propene and 1-hexene a higher i/n ratio resulted with nearly all the ligands compared with that of triphenylphosphane. Additionally as the ortho-alkyl-substituent became larger, it had a favorable effect on the i-selectivity. Characterization of the ligands was carried out by NMR spectroscopy (mainly ¹H, ³¹P{¹H}, ¹³C{¹H}, HSQC/HETCOR and COSY-90). Properties of the ligands were also studied by quantum mechanical calculations and by synthesizing three Rh(acac)(CO)(PR₃) derivatives. The o-alkyl-substituent was orientated outside the ligands’ cone angle in the X-ray crystal structures of (2-cyclohexylphenyl)dicyclohexylphosphane and (2,5-dimethylphenyl)bis(4-pyridyl)phosphane, and Rh(acac)(CO)(PR₃) complex of (2-methylphenyl)dicyclohexylphosphane.     

An Investigation of 1:1 Adducts of Gallium Trihalides with Triarylphosphines by Solid‐State 69/71Ga and 31P NMR Spectroscopy

Several 1:1 adducts of gallium trihalides with triarylphosphines, X₃Ga(PR₃) (X=Cl, Br, and I; PR₃=triarylphosphine ligand), were investigated by using solid‐state ^69/71Ga and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy at different magnetic‐field strengths. The ^69/71Ga nuclear quadrupolar coupling parameters, as well as the gallium and phosphorus magnetic shielding tensors, were determined. The magnitude of the ⁷¹Ga quadrupolar coupling constants (C_Q(⁷¹Ga)) range from approximately 0.9 to 11.0 MHz . The spans of the gallium magnetic shielding tensors for these complexes, δ₁₁?δ₃₃, range from approximately 30 to 380 ppm; those determined for phosphorus range from 10 to 40 ppm. For any given phosphine ligand, the gallium nuclei are most shielded for X=I and least shielded for X=Cl, a trend previously observed for In^III–phosphine complexes. This experimental trend, attributed to spin‐orbit effects of the halogen ligands, is reproduced by DFT calculations. The signs of C_Q(^69/71Ga) for some of the adducts were determined from the analysis of the ³¹P NMR spectra acquired with magic angle spinning (MAS). The ¹J(^69/71Ga,³¹P) and ΔJ(^69/71Ga, ³¹P) values, as well as their signs, were also determined; values of ¹J(⁷¹Ga,³¹P) range from approximately 380 to 1590 Hz. Values of ¹J(^69/71Ga,³¹P) and ΔJ(^69/71Ga,³¹P) calculated by using DFT have comparable magnitudes and generally reproduce experimental trends. Both the Fermi‐contact and spin‐dipolar Fermi‐contact mechanisms make important contributions to the ¹J(^69/71Ga,³¹P) tensors. The ³¹P NMR spectra of several adducts in solution, obtained as a function of temperature, are contrasted with those obtained in the solid state. Finally, to complement the analysis of NMR spectra for these adducts, single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction data for Br₃Ga[P(p‐Anis)₃] and I₃Ga[P(p‐Anis)₃] were obtained.     

Theoretical investigation of the structural,elastic, electronic and optical properties of the ternary indium sulfide layered structures AInS2 (A = K,Rb and Cs)

Ab initio calculations were performed to investigate the structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of the ternary layered systems AInS₂ (A = K, Rb and Cs). The calculated structural parameters are in good agreement with the existing experimental data. Analysis of the electronic band structure shows that the three studied materials are direct band-gap semiconductors. Density of states, charge transfers and charge density distribution maps were computed and analyzed. Numerical estimations of the elastic moduli and their related properties for single-crystal and polycrystalline aggregates were predicted. The optical properties were calculated for incident radiation polarized along the [100], [010] and [001] crystallographic directions. The studied materials exhibit a noticeable anisotropic behaviour in the elastic and optical properties, which is expected due to the symmetry and the layered nature of these compounds.