Study of host-guest interactions in benzodiazacoronands by means of solid state NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and quantum mechanical computations

In this work we present solid state data for five host-guest complexes formed by N-(4,19-dioxo-2,8,15,21-tetraoxa-5,18-diazatricyclohexacosa-1(25),9(14),10,12,22(26),23-hexaen-26-yl)-benzamide (1) belonging to the group of benzodiazacoronands, achiral compounds for which chiral crystals were found (J. Kalisiak and J. Jurczak, Cryst. Growth Des., 2006, 6, 20). The X-ray structure was resolved for four of them. It was found that 1 crystallizes in P2(1)/c, P1 and P2(1)/n achiral space groups. Differentiation of molecular packing and the presence of guest molecules within the crystal lattice were analyzed with solid state NMR. An attempt was made to correlate changes in (13)C δ(ii) and (15)N δ(ii) chemical shift tensor values, obtained from analysis of spinning sidebands of 1D and 2D (2D PASS) NMR spectra, with changes in the strength of hydrogen bonding. Quantum mechanical DFT GIAO calculations of NMR shielding parameters carried out on structures with coordinates taken from XRD were employed for signals assignment and verification of structural constraints.     

Molecular organization of cholesterol in unsaturated phosphatidylethanolamines: X-ray diffraction and solid state 2H NMR reveal differences with phosphatidylcholines

The major mammalian plasma membrane lipids are phosphatidylcholines (PCs), phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), and cholesterol. Whereas PC-cholesterol interactions are well studied, far less is known about those between PE and cholesterol. Here, we investigated the molecular organization of cholesterol in PEs that vary in their degree of acyl chain unsaturation. For heteroacid sn-1 saturated (palmitoyl), sn-2 unsaturated (various acyl chain) PEs, cholesterol solubility determined by X-ray diffraction was essentially identical with 1 (oleoyl, 51 +/- 3 mol %) and 2 (linoleoyl, 49 +/- 2 mol %) double bonds before decreasing progressively with 4 (arachidonyl, 41 +/- 3 mol %) and 6 (docosahexaenoyl, 31 +/- 3 mol %) double bonds. With 6 double bonds in each chain, cholesterol solubility was further reduced to 8.5 +/- 1 mol %. However, (2)H NMR experiments established that the orientation of cholesterol in the same heteroacid PE membranes was unaffected by the degree of acyl chain unsaturation. A tilt angle of 15 +/- 1 degrees was measured when equimolar [3alpha-(2)H(1)]cholesterol was added, regardless of the number of double bonds in the sn-2 chain. The finding that solubility of cholesterol in sn-1 saturated PEs depends on the amount of polyunsaturation in the sn-2 chain of PE differs from the equivalent PCs that universally incorporate approximately 50 mol % sterol. Unlike PCs, a differential in affinity for cholesterol and tendency to drive lateral segregation is inferred between polyunsaturated PEs. This distinction may have biological implications reflected by the health benefits of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids that are often taken up into PE > PC.     

Electron diffraction and X-ray investigation of hydrothermally vitrified 5 A zeolite containing trapped gases

The mechanism of gas fixation by hydrothermal treatment of zeolite type 5 A in the presence of a densified gas has been examined by electron diffraction and X rays. It is shown that gas trapping occurs in an X-ray amorphous phase which is formed within a broad spectrum of fixation conditions. The amorphous matrix recrystallizes at 850°C regardless of the parameter combination selected for vitrification. The recrystallization product consists essentially of anorthite and nepheline phases. In addition some CaAl₂Si₂O₈ was found. Observations made by X rays and by electron diffraction correlate well with leak rate data.     

A structural investigation of the alkali metal site distribution within bioactive glass using neutron diffraction and multinuclear solid state NMR

The atomic-scale structure of Bioglass and the effect of substituting lithium for sodium within these glasses have been investigated using neutron diffraction and solid state magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR. Applying an effective isomorphic substitution difference function to the neutron diffraction data has enabled the Na-O and Li-O nearest-neighbour correlations to be isolated from the overlapping Ca-O, O-(P)-O and O-(Si)-O correlations. These results reveal that Na and Li behave in a similar manner within the glassy matrix and do not disrupt the short range order of the network former. Residual differences are attributed solely to the variation in ionic radius between the two species. Successful simplification of the 2 < r (?) < 3 region via the difference method has enabled all the nearest neighbour correlations to be deconvolved. The diffraction data provides the first direct experimental evidence of split Na-O nearest-neighbour correlations in these melt quench bioactive glasses, and an analogous splitting of the Li-O correlations. The observed correlations are attributed to the metal ions bonded either to bridging or to non-bridging oxygen atoms. (23)Na triple quantum MAS (3QMAS) NMR data corroborates the split Na-O correlations. The structural sites present will be intimately related to the release properties of the glass system in physiological fluids such as plasma and saliva, and hence to the bioactivity of the material. Detailed structural knowledge is therefore a prerequisite for optimizing material design.     

Structure-directing agent location and non-centrosymmetric structure of fluoride-containing zeolite SSZ-55

Single crystals of pure silica zeolite SSZ-55 were prepared using the fluoride route. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction at a synchrotron source revealed the framework structure of the material, but the unit cell (orthorhombic a = 12.905(2) A, b = 21.344(4) A, c = 5.1279(10)) is too small to accommodate ordered arrays of the organic structure-directing agent. Molecular modeling was used to simulate the docking of the structure-directing agent in the channels of the material, and this revealed a strong space-filling interaction with a number of possible orientations of the organic cation. The overall non-centrosymmetric structure of the solid (spacegroup C222(1)) was confirmed using second harmonic generation experiments.     

Study of molecular dynamics and the solid state phase transition mechanism for unsymmetrical thiopyrophosphate using X-ray diffraction, DFT calculations and NMR spectroscopy

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and low-temperature X-ray diffraction studies showed that 2-thio-(5,5-dimethyl-1,3,2-dioxaphosphorinanyl)2'-oxo-dineopentyl-thiophosphate (compound 1) undergoes reversible phase transition at 203 K related to the change of symmetry of the crystallographic unit. Solid state NMR spectroscopy was used to establish the dynamic processes of aliphatic groups and the phosphorus skeleton. 13C and 31P variable temperature NMR studies as well as T1 and T1rho measurements of relaxation times revealed the different mode of molecular motion for each neopentyl residue directly bonded to phosphorus. It is concluded that molecular dynamics of aliphatic groups causes different van der Waals interactions in the crystal lattice and is the driving force of phase transition for compound 1. Finally, we showed that very sharp phase transition temperature makes compound 1 an excellent candidate as a low-temperature NMR thermometer in the solid phase.     

NMR Studies on the structure of cellulose. 2-dimensional solid state NMR approach

Two-dimensional C-H correlation NMR spectra are presented for the native cellulose types Iα and Iβ from Cladophora sp. A remarkable difference of correlation peaks between Iα and Iβ was observed, which indicates an essential structure difference between the two types of native cellulose.     

Multinuclear solid state NMR investigation of two polymorphic forms of ciprofloxacin-saccharinate

Two polymorphic forms of a novel pharmaceutical compound, ciprofloxacin-saccharinate (CIP-SAC), are analyzed using one dimensional (1D) and two dimensional (2D) (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at fast magic angle spinning (MAS). Additionally (15)N spectroscopy and (1)H-(13)C correlation experiments were performed to complement our conclusions. The 1D (1)H NMR spectra of CIP and complexes reveal valuable information about the ionic bonding between ciprofloxacin and saccharine. Additionally, these spectra allow us to perform a clear characterization of each solid form, giving the number of molecules per unit cell in one of the polymorphs. From 2D (1)H-(1)H spectra obtained through double quantum correlations we can arrive at important conclusions about the hydrogen bonding, conformation, and intra and inter-molecular interactions present in these compounds. Comparing and contrasting the (1)H-(1)H correlation data obtained for both polymorphic forms and taking into account the single crystal structure data existing for the solid form CIP-SAC (II) was possible to extract some conclusions on the polymorph CIP-SAC (I) where no single crystal information is available. (1)H MAS NMR is shown to be an important tool in the field of polymorphism and for the characterization of multicomponent pharmaceutical compounds.     

Structural investigation of e-beam cured epoxy resins through solid state NMR

In this paper the network structure of e-beam cured DGEBF based epoxy resins is investigated. Two epoxy systems, having different reactivity and cured in different process conditions, were analyzed through solid state NMR spectroscopy. The analysis shows that the more reactive system has higher cross-linking density and higher uniformity of network distribution. Similar information were obtained, in a previous work, on the same systems through dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. It is worth noting that unlike DMTA tests, which interfere with the molecular structure of the analyzed material, due to the heating during the analysis itself, more reliable information, without any artefact, are obtained by solid state NMR, carried out at constant room temperature.     

13C NMR chemical shift and electronic structure of polyoxymethylene in the solid state

High-resolution ¹³C NMR spectra of polyoxymethylene (POM) in the solid state have been measured in order to obtain a relationship between the conformation and ¹³C NMR chemical shift tensor (δ₁₁, δ₂₂ and δ₃₃) and its isotropic average. It was found that the ¹³C isotropic chemical shift of POM in the crystalline region appears upfield with respect to that in the noncrystalline region and that the width Δδ ( = δ₁₁ - δ₃₃) in the crystalline region is much larger than that in the noncrystalline region. These experimental findings can be reasonably explained by a theoretical calculation for an infinite POM chain based on a tight-binding molecular orbital calculation within the CNDO/2 framework.     

Time and temperature resolved X-ray diffraction for studies of solid state reactions and phase transitions

Three examples for the application of time and temperature resolved X-ray diffraction for the investigation of solid state reactions and phase transitions are given. Samples were submitted to an isothermal temperature program or to stepwise heating/cooling, while diffraction patterns were measured continuously. The applications include the in situ identification of reaction products or phases, the determination of kinetic parameters, the observation of thermal expansion and the formation of layers.     

1-Methylphenanthro[3,4-b]thiophene: Determination of the tertiary structure in solution and in the crystalline state by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction

1-Methylphenanthro[3,4-b]thiophene was prepared by the photocyclization of 1-(4′-methyl-2′-thienyl)-2-(2″-naphthyl)ethene. The ¹H and ¹³C-nmr spectra were assigned using two-dimensional ¹H/¹³C heteronuclear chemical shift correlation and relayed coherence transfer (RELAY) experiments. From nuclear Overhauser difference spectra, the H11-C1 methyl-H intramolecular distance was determined to be 2.10 Å. The molecule crystallized from chloroform in the monoclinic system, space group P2₁/c. A total of 3536 unique reflections were measured and the structure was solved by direct methods and refined to a final R = 0.049. The molecule is helical with both chiral forms observed in the crystal. The H11-C1 methyl-H distance in the crystal was 2.12(3)Å in excellent agreement with the distance measured in solution by NOE techniques.     

Probing local structure in zeolite frameworks: ultrahigh-field NMR measurements and accurate first-principles calculations of zeolite 29Si magnetic shielding tensors

The principal components of zeolite 29Si magnetic shielding tensors have been accurately measured and calculated for the first time. The experiments were performed at an ultrahigh magnetic field of 21.1 T in order to observe the small anisotropies of the 29Si shielding interactions that arise for Si atoms in near-tetrahedral geometries. A robust two-dimensional (2D) chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) recoupling pulse sequence was employed that enables quasi-static powder patterns to be resolved according to the isotropic chemical shifts. For the zeolites Sigma-2 and ZSM-12, it is demonstrated that the 29Si chemical shift (CS) tensor components measured by the recoupling experiment are in excellent agreement with those determined from spinning sidebands in slow magic-angle spinning (MAS) experiments. For the zeolite ZSM-5, the principal components of the 29Si CS tensors of 15 of the 24 Si sites were measured using the 2D CSA recoupling experiment, a feat that would not be possible with a slow MAS experiment due to the complexity of the spectrum. A simple empirical relationship between the 29Si CS tensors and local structural parameters could not be established. However, the 29Si magnetic shielding tensors calculated using Hartree-Fock ab initio calculations on clusters derived from the crystal structures are in excellent agreement with the experimental results. The accuracy of the calculations is strongly dependent on the quality of the crystal structure used in the calculation, indicating that the 29Si magnetic shielding interaction is extremely sensitive to the local structure around each Si atom. It is anticipated that the measurement and calculation of 29Si shielding tensors could be incorporated into the "NMR crystallography" of zeolites and other related silicate materials, possibly being used for structure refinements that may lead to crystal structures with very accurate Si and O atomic coordinates.     

Interpretation of soft X-ray emission spectra by means of local solid state models

Soft X-ray emission spectra for TiC, TiN, TiO, VC, VN and VO are interpreted in terms of octahedral clusters for these compounds. A comparison of experimental data and theoretically calculated spectra is shown.     

Synthesis and structure of fluoride-containing GeO2 analogues of zeolite double four-ring building units

Double four-membered ring (D4R) anionic building units [Ge8O12(OH)8F]- have been synthesised hydrothermally and their structures solved from powder X-ray diffraction.     

固体核磁碳结构参数的修正及其在煤结构分析中的应用

为消除~(13)C CP/M AS/TOSS NM R测试中碳核NOE效应,获得相对准确的碳结构参数,考察了不同模型化合物的碳核NOE效应强度。结果表明,不同模型化合物碳谱分峰拟合的测试值与样品碳结构参数的理论值之间存在明显误差,其中,脂肪碳在25%-125%、芳香碳为4%-50%,NOE效应在固体核磁碳谱测试中影响显著。为此,将模型化合物脂肪碳和芳香碳的实测值和理论值进行回归分析,得到非线性回归方程。用该方程对9,10-二甲基蒽进行碳结构修正,发现修正后脂肪碳实测值与理论值之间误差由不修正时的119.60%减小至7.84%,芳香碳误差为由不修正时的-17.10%到1.11%,修正后误差均在10%以内;同时用该回归方程修正了不同煤的碳结构参数,发现不同煤未修正的H/C原子比与其元素分析H/C原子比误差在45%-53%,修正后误差只有4%-13%,与元素分析结果具有一致性,表明非线性回归方程能够方便、准确地消除固体核磁NOE效应,为煤中碳结构分析提供新的技术支撑。