Rapid computer simulation of ESR spectra. Conventional ESR of axially symmetric 14N-nitroxide spin labels

A computer algorithm is presented for the simulation of the effect of molecular tumbling on ESR spectra, and is applied to simulation of the conventional ESR signal (the absorption signal detected at the first harmonic of the modulation frequency and in-phase with the modulation frequency, in the limit of low microwave and modulation power) of axially symmetric ¹⁴N-nitroxide spin labels. The algorithm is extremely fast and is economical in terms of computer memory requirements.     

Analysis of the anisotropy of the rotation of spin probes according to saturation-transfer ESR spectra

Expressions for calculating the form of the second-harmonic ESR absorption spectra for the cases of discontinuous isotropic and uniaxial rotation of a spin probe around the principal axes of the magnetic tensors have been obtained. In the case of a macroscopically unoriented system, the form of the spectrum in the second harmonic shows little sensitivity to rotational anisotropy, which can be established on the basis of the spectroscopic parameters L/L, C/C, and H/H only in a restricted number of ceases. The relations between the correlation times determined from these parameters in the model of isotropic rotation and their relationship to the true values of in the case of uniaxial rotation of the probe have been analyzed. With respect to oriented sytems, the calculated spectra have been compared with the experimental spectra for a cholestane spin probe in phospholipid multilayers. Consideration of the inhomogeneous broadening of the line is necessary in order to achieve satisfactory agreement.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Eksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 22, No. 3, pp. 331–336, May–June, 1986.     

Spectral and spin diffusion in stationary saturation of ESR spectra of paramagnetic centers

Theoretical and experimental approaches have been taken in a study of the feasibility of using the method of stationary saturation of ESR spectra in studying processes of dipole relaxation of paramagnetic centers in magnetically dilute solids. In the example of a system consisting of two kinds of paramagnetic centers, relaxation characteristics have been formulated by the stationary saturation method and the electron spin-echo method. It has been established that, with certain limitations and the use of a correct workup of the experiment, the stationary saturation method can be applied successfully in determining the relaxation characteristics of paramagnetic centers and features of their spatial position. Results obtained by this method are discussed in the example of systems in which electron-nucleus interaction makes a substantial contribution to the phase relaxation process.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 25, No. 5, pp. 520–528, September–October, 1989.     

Stress-dependent dynamic compliance spectra approach to the nonlinear viscoelastic response of polymers

The present work reports a discrete, stress-dependent dynamic compliance spectra method which may be used to predict the mechanical response of nonlinear viscoelastic polymers during strain-defined processes. The method is based on the observation that the real and complex parts of the discrete dynamic compliance frequency components obtained from creep measurements are smooth, easily fit functions of stress. Comparisons between experimental measurements and model calculations show that the model exhibits excellent quantitative agreement with the basis creep measurements at all experimental stress levels. The model exhibits good quantitative agreement with stress relaxation measurements at moderate levels of applied strain. However, the model underestimates the experimental stress relaxation at an applied strain of 3.26%. The stress relaxation error appears to be a real material effect resulting from the different strain character of creep and stress relaxation tests. The model provides a good quantitative agreement with experimental constant strain rate measurements up to approximately 4% strain, after which the model underestimates the experimental flow stress. This effect is explained by the time dependence of the stress-activated configurational changes necessary for large strains in glassy polymers. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. B Polym. Phys. 36: 2301–2309, 1998     

Silver clusters: Optical absorption and ESR spectra; structure and calculation of electron transitions

The formation of Ag₃ ²⁺ and Ag₄ ⁺ clusters upon freezing out of aqueous-alcohol glassy solutions of AgClO₄ by γ-irradiation at 77 K was established by ESR and optical spectroscopies. The Ag₃ ²⁺ cluster is formed by subsequent addition of Ag⁺ ions to a silver atom, and the Ag₄ ⁺ cluster is most probably formed by the reduction of the Ag₄ ²⁺ cluster by alcohol radicals. The energies of optical transitions and energy gaps far the Ag₄ ^m+ cluster (m = 0 to 3) were calculated. The absorption bands of the clusters shift to the UV region as the charge increases, which agrees with the experimental results.     

ESR spectra of photolysis products from inorganic peracids and peroxyhydrates

The O-O bond is broken by low-temperature photolysis in polycrystalline peroxosulfate, peroxophosphate, and electrolytic peroxocarbonate. The radicals are stable at room temperature and their ESR spectra show appreciable hyperfine structure. Solid peroxyhydrates under these conditions give the radicals found in frozen solutions of H₂O₂. The differences in the ESR spectra may serve to distinguish the true peroxides from the peroxyhydrates. Two specimens of peroxocarbonate prepared by chemical methods have been shown in this way to be mixtures of peroxocarbonate with peroxyhydrate.     

Analysis of in vivo and in vitro ESR spectra of H-flavin,an intrinsic spin label of flavoproteins

ESR experiments with fully deuterated flavoprotein have made possible the first determination of g-tensors and coupling constants for the radical form of this protein. Rotational diffusion correlation times for several in vitro and in vivo flavoprotein systems have been calculated and the utility of the saturation behavior of ²H-flavin radicals is demonstrated.     

Combination of neural networks and DFT calculations for the comprehensive analysis of FDMPO radical adducts from fast isotropic electron spin resonance spectra

The 4-hydroxy-5,5-dimethyl-2-trifluoromethylpyrroline-1-oxide (FDMPO) spin trap is very attractive for spin trapping studies due to its high stability and high reaction rates with various free radicals. However, the identification of FDMPO radical adducts is a challenging task since they have very comparable Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectra. Here we propose a new method for the analysis and interpretation of the ESR spectra of FDMPO radical adducts. Thus, overlapping ESR spectra were analyzed using computer simulations. As a result, the N- and F-hyperfine splitting constants were obtained. Furthermore, an artificial neural network (ANN) was adopted to identify radical adducts formed during various processes (e.g., Fenton reaction, cleavage of peracetic acid over MnO(2), etc.). The ANN was effective on both "known" FDMPO radical adducts measured in slightly different solvents and not a priori "known" FDMPO radical adducts. Finally, the N- and F-hyperfine splitting constants of ·OH, ·CH(3), ·CH(2)OH, and CH(3)(C═O)O(·) radical adducts of FDMPO were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-31G++//B3LYP/EPR-II level of theory to confirm the experimental data.     

Study of the miscibility and segmental motion of STMAA-PBMA polymer blends and semi-interpenetrating polymer networks by an ESR spin probe method

Linear polymer blends and semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) with controlled hydrogen bonding interactions based on poly(styrene-co-methacrylic acid) (STMAA) and poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) were studied by an ESR spin probe method. The observed composite ESR spectra with fast- and slow-motion components in all the samples were ascribed to two-phase morphology. For linear blends, the temperatures T(a) corresponding to appearance of the fast motion, T(d) corresponding to the disappearance of slow motion, T(5mT) and the rotational correlation times tau(c) increased with increasing carboxylic acid content in STMAA. It was concluded that the degree of mixing of the blends was improved with increasing carboxylic acid content, owing to the enhanced hydrogen bonding interactions between the carboxylic acids in STMAA and the ester groups in PBMA. With respect to semi-IPN samples, there existed a competition in the microphase structure between the intercomponent hydrogen bonding interactions, which improved the miscibility of the samples and the intracomponent cross-linking, which might lead to phase separation in the systems with strong specific interactions. When the semi-IPN contained 29 mol% carboxylic acid, the temperatures T(d), T(5mT) and tau(c) reached their minimum values, which indicated that the sample reached its maximum miscibility.     

ESR spectra and the behavior of substituted indophenoxyl radicals

ESR spectra and structure are compared for radicals formed from substituted indophenols by oxidation (substituents CH₃, i-C₃H₇, t-C₄H₉, t-C₅H₁₁, cyclohexyl). The unpaired electron interacts with the nitrogen and with the hydrogen in the ortho and meta positions of both benzene rings. A kinetic equation of first order with respect to the indophenol applies to the reaction of the latter with benzoyl peroxide. The loss of indophenoxyl radicals in benzene obeys an equation of second order in the radical concentration. The rate constants for radicals with various substituents indicate the radical stability, which falls greatly in going from ones with ortho-t-alkyl substituents to ones with less highly branched groups.     

Parametrization, molecular dynamics simulation, and calculation of electron spin resonance spectra of a nitroxide spin label on a polyalanine alpha-helix

The nitroxide spin label 1-oxyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrroline-3-methyl-methanethiosulfonate (MTSSL), commonly used in site-directed spin labeling of proteins, is studied with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. After developing force field parameters for the nitroxide moiety and the spin label linker, we simulate MTSSL attached to a polyalanine alpha-helix in explicit solvent to elucidate the factors affecting its conformational dynamics. Electron spin resonance spectra at 9 and 250 GHz are simulated in the time domain using the MD trajectories and including global rotational diffusion appropriate for the tumbling of T4 Lysozyme in solution. Analysis of the MD simulations reveals the presence of significant hydrophobic interactions of the spin label with the alanine side chains.     

Simulating electron spin resonance spectra of nitroxide spin labels from molecular dynamics and stochastic trajectories

Simulating electron spin resonance spectra of nitroxide spin labels from motional models is necessary for the quantitative analysis of experimental spectra. We present a framework for modeling the spin label dynamics by using trajectories such as those from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations combined with stochastic treatment of the global protein tumbling. This is achieved in the time domain after two efficient numerical integrators are developed: One for the quantal dynamics of the spins and the other for the classical rotational diffusion. For the quantal dynamics, we propagate the relevant part of the spin density matrix in Hilbert space. For the diffusional tumbling, we work with quaternions, which enables the treatment of anisotropic diffusion in a potential expanded as a sum of spherical harmonics. Time-averaging arguments are invoked to bridge the gap between the smaller time step of the MD trajectories and the larger time steps appropriate for the rotational diffusion and/or quantal spin dynamics.     

Temperature dependence of ESR spectra of methyl methacrylate radicals from 77 K to 300 K

The radicals formed in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) under vacuum by UV irradiation at room temperature were carefully examined from 77 K to 300 K by electron spin resonance (ESR). The conventional nine-line spectrum was observed with significant overall intensity changes in contrast to previous reports. The intensity decreases greatly as the temperature increases from 77 K to 100 K. The intensity of the ESR spectrum increases as the temperature increases gradually from 100 K to 260 K. The spectral changes were reversible at all temperatures. Three different models are considered to interpret the temperature dependence of the intensity of the ESR spectrum. The results indicate that the ESR spectrum depends on (1) the steady-state concentration of the propagating radical in the polymer, (2) the conformational distributions of the radicals, and (3) the environmental structures of the polymer matrix.