DFT computational schemes for 15N NMR chemical shifts of the condensed nitrogen-containing heterocycles

A systematic density functional theory (DFT) study of the accuracy factors (functionals, basis sets, and solvent effects) for the computation of ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts has been performed in the series of condensed nitrogen-containing heterocycles. The behavior of the most representative functionals was examined based on the benchmark calculations of ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts in the reference set of compounds. It was found that the best agreement with experiment was achieved with OLYP functional in combination with aug-pcS-3(N)//pc-2 locally dense basis set scheme providing mean absolute error of 5.2 ppm in the range of about 300 ppm. Taking into account solvent effects was performed within a general Tomasi's polarizable continuum model scheme. It was also found that computationally demanding supermolecular solvation model computations essentially improved some “difficult” cases, as was illustrated with phenanthroline dissolved in methanol. Based on the performed calculations, some 200 unknown ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts were predicted with a high level of confidence for about 50 real-life condensed nitrogen-containing heterocycles, which could serve as a practical guide in structural elucidation of this class of compounds.     

Quantum-chemical calculations of NMR chemical shifts of organic molecules: VIII. Solvation effects on 15N NMR chemical shifts of nitrogen-containing heterocycles

Effect of solvation on the accuracy of DFT quantum-chemical calculations of ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts of pyrrole, N-methylpyrrole, and pyridine was studied. The use of continuum model is sufficient to obtain consistent theoretical σ_N values for weakly polar aprotic solvents, whereas solvation effects in strongly polar and protic solvents should be taken into account in the explicit form.     

15N NMR chemical shifts for the identification of dipyrrolic structures

A variety of dipyrromethanes and dipyrromethenes have been prepared, and their 15N NMR chemical shifts have been measured by two-dimensional correlation to 1H NMR signals. The nitrogen atoms in five examples of dipyrromethanes consistently exhibit chemical shifts around -231 ppm, relative to nitromethane. Seven examples of hydrobromide salts of meso-unsubstituted dipyrromethenes consistently display 15N chemical shifts around -210 ppm, while their corresponding zinc(II) complexes exhibit chemical shifts around -170 ppm. The presence of electron-withdrawing substituents on one of the pyrrolic rings of dipyrromethenes affects the chemical shifts of both of the nitrogen nuclei in the molecule. Boron difluoride complexes of meso-unsubstituted dipyrromethenes display 15N chemical shifts around -190 ppm. Two examples of free-base dipyrromethenes bearing substituents at the meso-position exhibit 15N chemical shifts at approximately -156 ppm, and for the zinc complexes of these compounds at -162 ppm. One-bond nitrogen-hydrogen coupling constants, when measurable, were consistently in the range of -96 Hz. Since the measured 15N chemical shifts have such a high regularity correlated to structure, they can be used as diagnostic indications for identifying the structure of dipyrrolic compounds.     

Relativistic effects of chlorine in 15N NMR chemical shifts of chlorine-containing amines

Russian Journal of Organic Chemistry - Quantum-chemical calculations by DFT method demonstrated that the accounting is necessary of the shielding by chlorine of nitrogen atom in practical...     

15N NMR chemical shifts of ring substituted benzonitriles

15N chemical shifts in an extensive series of para (15) and meta (15) as well as ortho (8) substituted benzonitriles, X-C6H4-CN, were measured in deuteriochloroform solutions, using three different methods of referencing. The standard error of the average chemical shift was less than 0.03 ppm in most cases. The results are discussed for both empirical correlations with substituent parameters and quantum chemical calculations. The 15N chemical shifts calculated at the GIAO/B3LYP/6-31 + G*//B3LYP/6-31 + G* level reproduce the experimental values well, and include nitrogen atoms in the substituent groups (range of 300 ppm with slope 0.98 and R = 0.998, n = 43). The 15N shifts in hydroxybenzonitriles are affected by interaction with the OH group. Therefore, these derivatives are excluded from the correlation analysis. The resultant 15N chemical shift correlates well with substituent constants, both in the simple Hammett or DSP relationships and the 13C substituent-induced chemical shifts of the CN carbon.     

Quantum-chemical calculations of NMR chemical shifts of organic molecules: XIII. Accuracy of the calculation of 15N NMR chemical shifts of azines with account taken of solvation effects

Effects of solvation on the accuracy of the calculation of ¹⁵N chemical shifts in the azine series have been analyzed at the DFT/GIAO level of theory. The best results are obtained with the use of the Keal-Tozer KT2 functional in combination with the Dunning aug-cc-pVTZ basis set with inclusion of solvent effects according to the Tomasi polarizable continuum model (PCM). If specific solvation is strong, additional consideration of solvent effects in the supermolecule approximation is necessary with explicit inclusion of solvent molecules.     

GIAO‐DFT calculation of 15N NMR chemical shifts of Schiff bases: Accuracy factors and protonation effects

¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts in the representative series of Schiff bases together with their protonated forms have been calculated at the density functional theory level in comparison with available experiment. A number of functionals and basis sets have been tested in terms of a better agreement with experiment. Complimentary to gas phase results, 2 solvation models, namely, a classical Tomasi's polarizable continuum model (PCM) and that in combination with an explicit inclusion of one molecule of solvent into calculation space to form supermolecule 1:1 (SM + PCM), were examined. Best results are achieved with PCM and SM + PCM models resulting in mean absolute errors of calculated ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts in the whole series of neutral and protonated Schiff bases of accordingly 5.2 and 5.8 ppm as compared with 15.2 ppm in gas phase for the range of about 200 ppm. Noticeable protonation effects (exceeding 100 ppm) in protonated Schiff bases are rationalized in terms of a general natural bond orbital approach.     

15N NMR chemical shifts in solid NH+4 salts

¹⁵N NMR CP/MAS spectra of solid NH⁺₄ salts show substantial chemical shift differences. Ab initio calculations indicate that changes in NH⁺₄ geometry and anion environment can account for the range of shifts.     

13C and 15N NMR chemical shifts of alkylsubstituted benzonitriles

¹³C NMR data of 14 and ¹⁵N NMR data of four alkylsubstituted benzonitriles are reported and discussed in relation to substituent effects and stereochemistry.     

15N chemical shifts in aziridines

For a number of 1-substituted aziridines and also some 1,2-disubstituted aziridines it has been shown that electron-donating substituents on the nitrogen atom produce a downfield shift of the ¹⁵N resonance. The ¹⁵N chemical shifts of aziridines correlate with the ¹⁵N shifts in N,N-dimethylamines and primary amines as well as with the ¹⁷O shifts in oxiranes. A correlation is also observed between the ¹⁵N chemical shifts and the electronegativity of the substituents on the nitrogen atom.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, 1336–1339, October, 1988.     

On the long‐range relativistic effects in the 15N NMR chemical shifts of halogenated azines

Long‐range β‐ and γ‐relativistic effects of halogens in ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts of 20 halogenated azines (pyridines, pyrimidines, pyrazines, and 1,3,5‐triazines) are shown to be unessential for fluoro‐, chloro‐, and bromo‐derivatives (1–2 ppm in average). However, for iodocontaining compounds, β‐ and γ‐relativistic effects are important contributors to the accuracy of the ¹⁵N calculation. Taking into account long‐range relativistic effects slightly improves the agreement of calculation with experiment. Thus, mean average errors (MAE) of ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts of the title compounds calculated at the non‐relativistic and full 4‐component relativistic levels in gas phase are accordingly 7.8 and 5.5 ppm for the range of about 150 ppm. Taking into account solvent effects within the polarizable continuum model scheme marginally improves agreement of computational results with experiment decreasing MAEs from 7.8 to 7.4 ppm and from 5.5 to 5.3 ppm at the non‐relativistic and relativistic levels, respectively. The best result (MAE: 5.3 ppm) is achieved at the 4‐component relativistic level using Keal and Tozer's KT3 functional used in combination with Dyall's relativistic basis set dyall.av3z with taking into account solvent effects within the polarizable continuum solvation model. The long‐range relativistic effects play a major role (of up to dozen of parts per million) in ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts of halogenated nitrogen‐containing heterocycles, which is especially crucial for iodine derivatives. This effect should apparently be taken into account for practical purposes.     

Substituent effects on 15N NMR chemical shifts in selected N-alkylthiohydroxamic acids. A comparative study

The 15N NMR spectra of three N-alkyl-delta-carbomethoxyvalerothiohydroxamic acids (2) and six synthesized N-isopropylbenzothiohydroxamic acids (3) were measured and compared with appropriate spectra of structurally similar hydroxylamines (1), benzohydroxamic acids (4), benzamides (5) and thiobenzamides (6). The analysis of the chemical shifts of the thiohydroxamic acids under investigation indicates that the inductive effect of the hydroxyl group rather than steric hindrance is responsible for non-additivity of the effect of substituents. Additionally, N-hydroxyl diminishes the effect of aromatic ring substituents on the 15N chemical shifts in the thiohydroxamic acids 3 which is approximately half that in the respective thiobenzamides 6. The chemical shift values correlate best with Brown's sigma+ parameter.     

Interpretation of substituent effects on 13C and 15N NMR chemical shifts in 6-substituted purines

A range of purine derivatives modified at position 6 of the basic purine skeleton exhibit a variety of biological activities. Several derivatives are used or tested nowadays for pharmacological treatments. The present work aims to analyze the effects of substituents on the electron distribution in the purine core as reflected by NMR chemical shifts. We collected a comprehensive set of experimental NMR data for a variety of 6-substituted purines (-NH(2), -NHMe, -NMe(2), -OMe, -Me, -CCH, and -CN) and determined the molecular and crystal structures of three derivatives (-NHMe, -CCH, and -CN) by X-ray diffraction. The density-functional methods calibrated in our recent study (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 5126) have been employed to enable understanding of the substituent-induced changes in the NMR chemical shifts of the atoms in the purine skeleton. Analyses of the nuclear shielding using localized molecular orbitals (LMOs), specifically the natural LMOs (NLMOs) and Pipek-Mezey LMOs, were used to break down the values of the isotropic (13)C and (15)N NMR chemical shifts and the chemical shift tensors into the contributions of the individual LMOs. The experimental and calculated trends in the chemical shift of the N-3 atom correlate nicely with the Hammett constants (σ(para)) and the calculated natural charges on N-3, whereas the contributions of the LMOs to the N-1 and C-6 chemical shifts are found to be more complex.     

Solvent effects in the GIAO‐DFT calculations of the 15N NMR chemical shifts of azoles and azines

The calculation of ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts of 27 azoles and azines in 10 different solvents each has been carried out at the gauge including atomic orbitals density functional theory level in gas phase and applying the integral equation formalism polarizable continuum model (IEF‐PCM) and supermolecule solvation models to account for solvent effects. In the calculation of ¹⁵N NMR, chemical shifts of the nitrogen‐containing heterocycles dissolved in nonpolar and polar aprotic solvents, taking into account solvent effect is sufficient within the IEF‐PCM scheme, whereas for polar protic solvents with large dielectric constants, the use of supermolecule solvation model is recommended. A good agreement between calculated 460 values of ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts and experiment is found with the IEF‐PCM scheme characterized by MAE of 7.1 ppm in the range of more than 300 ppm (about 2%). The best result is achieved with the supermolecule solvation model performing slightly better (MAE 6.5 ppm). Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Substitution effects in the 15N NMR chemical shifts of heterocyclic azines evaluated at the GIAO‐DFT level

A systematic study of the accuracy factors for the computation of ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts in comparison with available experiment in the series of 72 diverse heterocyclic azines substituted with a classical series of substituents (CH₃, F, Cl, Br, NH₂, OCH₃, SCH₃, COCH₃, CONH₂, COOH, and CN) providing marked electronic σ‐ and π‐electronic effects and strongly affecting ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts is performed. The best computational scheme for heterocyclic azines at the DFT level was found to be KT3/pcS‐3//pc‐2 (IEF‐PCM). A vast amount of unknown ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts was predicted using the best computational protocol for substituted heterocyclic azines, especially for trizine, tetrazine, and pentazine where experimental ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts are almost totally unknown throughout the series. It was found that substitution effects in the classical series of substituents providing typical σ‐ and π‐electronic effects followed the expected trends, as derived from the correlations of experimental and calculated ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts with Swain–Lupton's F and R constants.     

On the accuracy factors and computational cost of the GIAO–DFT calculation of 15N NMR chemical shifts of amides

The main factors affecting the accuracy and computational cost of Gauge‐independent Atomic Orbital–density functional theory (GIAO–DFT) calculation of ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts in the benchmark series of 16 amides are considered. Among those are the choice of the DFT functional and basis set, solvent effects, internal reference conversion factor and applicability of the locally dense basis set (LDBS) scheme. Solvent effects are treated within the polarizable continuum model (PCM) scheme as well as at supermolecular level with solvent molecules considered in explicit way. The best result is found for Keal and Tozer's KT3 functional used in combination with Jensen's pcS‐3 basis set with taking into account solvent effects within the polarizable continuum model. The proposed LDBS scheme implies pcS‐3 on nitrogen and pc‐2 elsewhere in the molecule. The resulting mean average error for the calculated ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts is about 6 ppm. The application of the LDBS approach tested in a series of 16 amides results in a dramatic decrease in computational cost (more than an order of magnitude in time scale) with insignificant loss of accuracy.     

Quantum-chemical calculation of NMR chemical shifts of organic molecules: III. Intramolecular coordination effects on the 31P NMR chemical shifts of phosphorylated N-vinylazoles

Theoretical and experimental studies on magnetic shielding of the phosphorus nucleus in trichloro-[2-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)ethenyl]phosphonium hexachlorophosphate(V) and 1,1,1,1-tetrachloro-1H-1λ⁶-pyrazolo-[1,2-a][1,2,3]diazaphosphol-8-ium-1-ide showed that intramolecular coordination of the phosphorus atom in the chlorophosphonium group to the nitrogen atom in the pyrazole ring leads to upfield shift of the phosphorus signal (to δ_P 170 ppm) and that the contribution of the spin-orbital contribution to the ³¹P chemical shift reaches 15%. Relativistic effects and effects of the medium are determining in the theoretical calculation of ³¹P NMR chemical shifts.