Solid state separated-local-field NMR spectroscopy on half-integer quadrupolar nuclei: principles and applications to borane analysis

New multidimensional NMR methods correlating the quadrupolar and heteronuclear dipolar interactions affecting a half-integer quadrupolar spin in the solid state are introduced and exemplified. The methods extend separated-local-field magic-angle spinning (SLF MAS) NMR techniques that have been used successfully in spin-(1)/(2) spectroscopy to the study of S >/= (3)/(2) nuclei. In our implementation, these techniques avoid homonuclear proton decoupling requirements by relying on moderately fast MAS rates (6-15 kHz) and use rotor-synchronized constant-time pulse sequences to achieve nearly arbitrary amplifications of the apparent dipolar coupling strengths. The result is a suite of simple 2D NMR experiments, whose line shapes carry valuable information about the structure and dynamics of solids containing quadrupolar and proton nuclei. The potential of these sequences was exploited to gather new insight into the structure and dynamics of a variety of boron-containing samples. These experimental SLF schemes were also extended to 3D NMR experiments that incorporate multiple-quantum MAS, thus enabling the resolution needed to study multiple chemical sites in a solid and providing a useful tool for the assignment of inequivalent sites.     

Spin-locking of half-integer quadrupolar nuclei in nuclear magnetic resonance of solids: creation and evolution of coherences

Spin-locking of half-integer quadrupolar nuclei, such as 23Na (I=3/2) and 27Al (I=5/2), is of renewed interest owing to the development of variants of the multiple-quantum and satellite-transition magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance experiments that either utilize spin-locking directly or offer the possibility that spin-locked states may arise. However, the large magnitude and, under MAS, the time dependence of the quadrupolar interaction often result in complex spin-locking phenomena that are not widely understood. Here we show that, following the application of a spin-locking pulse, a variety of coherence transfer processes occur on a time scale of approximately 1/omegaQ before the spin system settles down into a spin-locked state which may itself be time dependent if MAS is performed. We show theoretically for both spin I=3/2 and 5/2 nuclei that the spin-locked state created by this initial rapid dephasing typically consists of a variety of single- and multiple-quantum coherences and nonequilibrium population states and we discuss the subsequent evolution of these under MAS. In contrast to previous work, we consider spin-locking using a wide range of radio frequency field strengths, i.e., a range that covers both the "strong-field" (omega1 > omegaQPAS and "weak-field" (omega1 < omegaQPAS limits. Single- and multiple-quantum filtered spin-locking experiments on NaNO2, NaNO3, and Al(acac)3, under both static and MAS conditions, are used to illustrate and confirm the results of the theoretical discussion.     

Cross polarization from spins I=12 to spins S=1 in nuclear magnetic resonance with magic angle sample spinning

Spin locking of the nuclear magnetization of a spin with S=1 such as deuterium in the presence of a radio-frequency field under magic angle spinning (MAS) is described in terms of adiabatic modulations of the energy levels. In a brief initial period, part of the initial density operator nutates about the Hamiltonian and is dephased. The remaining spin-locked state undergoes persistent oscillatory transfer processes between various coherences with a periodicity given by the rotation of the sample. While all crystallites in the powder undergo such periodic transfer processes, the phases of the oscillations depend on the angle gamma of the crystallites. The angle gamma is the azimuthal angle defining the orientation of the unique axis of the quadrupolar interaction tensor in a rotor-fixed frame. The theory is extended to describe cross-polarization between spins S=1 and I=12 under MAS. There are four distinct Hartmann-Hahn matching conditions that correspond to four zero-quantum matching conditions, all of which are shifted and broadened compared to their spin S=12 counterparts. These matching conditions are further split into a family of sideband conditions separated by the spinning frequency. The theory allows the calculation of both shifts and broadening factors of the matching conditions, as verified by simulations and experiments.     

Multinuclear NMR investigations of the oxygen, water, and hydroxyl environments in sodium hexaniobate

Solid-state (1)H, (17)O MAS NMR, (1)H-(93)Nb TRAPDOR NMR, and (1)H double quantum 2D MAS NMR experiments were used to characterize the oxygen, water, and hydroxyl environments in the monoprotonated hexaniobate material, Na(7)[HNb(6)O(19)].15H(2)O. These solid-state NMR experiments demonstrate that the proton is located on the bridging oxygen of the [Nb(6)O(19)](8-) cluster. The solid-state NMR results also show that the NbOH protons are spatially isolated from similar protons, but undergo proton exchange with the water species located in the crystal lattice. On the basis of double quantum (1)H MAS NMR measurements, it was determined that the water species in the crystal lattice have restricted motional dynamics. Two-dimensional (1)H-(17)O MAS NMR correlation experiments show that these restricted waters are preferentially associated with the bridging oxygen. Solution (17)O NMR experiments show that the hydroxyl proton is also attached to the bridging oxygen for the compound in solution. In addition, solution (17)O NMR kinetic studies for the hexaniobate allowed the measurement of relative oxygen exchange rates between the bridging, terminal, and hydroxyl oxygen and the oxygen of the solvent as a function of pH and temperature. These NMR experiments are some of the first investigations into the proton location, oxygen and proton exchange processes, and water dynamics for a base stable polyoxoniobate material, and they provide insight into the chemistry and reactivity of these materials.     

A solid-state 39K and 13C NMR study of polymeric potassium metallocenes

The quadrupolar Carr-Purcell Meiboom-Gill (QCPMG) and double frequency sweep (DFS)/QCPMG pulse sequences are applied in order to acquire the first solid-state 39K NMR spectra of organometallic complexes, the polymeric main group metallocenes cyclopentadienyl potassium (CpK) and pentamethylcyclopentadienyl potassium (Cp*K). Piecewise QCPMG NMR techniques are used to acquire a high S/N 39K spectrum of the broad central transition of Cp*K, which is ca. 200 kHz in breadth. Analytical and numerical simulations indicate that there is a significant quadrupolar interaction present at both potassium nuclei (C(Q)(39K) = 2.55(6)/2.67(8) MHz and 4.69(8) MHz for CpK (static/MAS) and Cp*K, respectively). Experimental quadrupolar asymmetry parameters suggest that both structures are bent about the potassium atoms (eta(Q)(39K) = 0.28(3)/0.29(3) for CpK (static/MAS) and eta(Q)(39K) = 0.30(3) for Cp*K). Variable-temperature (VT) 39K NMR experiments on CpK elucidate temperature-dependent changes in quadrupolar parameters which can be rationalized in terms of alterations of bond distances and angles with temperature. 13C CP/MAS NMR experiments are conducted upon both samples to quantify the carbon chemical shielding anisotropy (CSA) at the Cp' ring carbon atoms. Ab initio carbon CSA and 39K electric-field gradient (EFG) and CSA calculations are conducted and discussed for the CpK complex, in order to correlate the experimental NMR parameters with molecular structure in CpK and Cp*K. 39K DFS/QCPMG and 13C CP/MAS experiments prove invaluable for probing molecular structure, temperature-dependent structural changes, and the presence of impurities in these systems.     

Aligned deuterochloroform in cross‐linked polystyrene as a new sample for adjusting the magic angle in HR‐MAS

A new and easily usable sample for adjusting the magic angle in a high resolution magic angle spinning (HR‐MAS) probe head is a swollen polymer stick in CDCl₃. The deuterium resonance shows a quadrupolar splitting if the rotor assembly is not at the magic angle, but a sharp singlet if the magic angle is correctly adjusted. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Separate-local-field NMR spectroscopy on half-integer quadrupolar nuclei

New approaches to the characterization of resonances in the solid-state NMR spectroscopy of half-integer quadrupolar nuclei are explored, on the basis of the acquisition of heteronuclear separate-local-field spectra on rotating solids. In their two-dimensional version, these experiments correlate for each chemical site a second-order quadrupolar MAS powder pattern with the dipolar MAS sideband pattern to nearby heteronuclei. As 3D NMR sequences, such 2D anisotropic correlation spectra become separated for inequivalent chemical sites along a third, isotropic dimension. Extending in such manner separate-local-field NMR approaches to quadrupoles facilitates the assignment of inequivalent resonances to specific structural environments, and provides new tools for the investigation of dynamics in solids. Details about these 2D and 3D NMR experiments are given, and their application is illustrated with 1H-23Na recoupling experiments on mononucleotides possessing multiple bound cations.     

Enantiomeric visualization using proton-decoupled natural abundance deuterium NMR in poly(γ-benzyl-l-glutamate) liquid crystalline solutions

We report the first visualization of chiral molecules oriented in a polypeptide liquid crystalline system (PBLG) using proton-decoupled natural abundance deuterium NMR. The chiral discrimination is observed through measurements of the quadrupolar splitting differences and we demonstrate that the sensitivity of natural abundance deuterium NMR is sufficient to measure the differential ordering effects (DOEs) without the need for isotopic enrichment. The feasibility and the potential of this novel method were investigated using a 5.87 T spectrometer (proton frequency 250 MHz). Several examples of chiral discrimination are presented and particular emphasis is given to demonstrate the potential of this approach.     

The structure and conformation of a mesogenic compound between almost zero and almost complete orientational order

The conformational distributions in molecules that form liquid crystalline phases are predicted to depend strongly on orientational order. Results are presented here to test this hypothesis. The mesogen 4-hexyloxy-4'-cyanobiphenyl (6OCB) has been studied by NMR spectroscopy in the isotropic phase and in the nematic phase. In the isotropic phase the field-induced orientational ordering produces small dipolar couplings between ¹³C and ¹H nuclei, which were determined from the ¹³C spectra. Couplings between ¹H nuclei were also obtained using 2D selective refocusing experiments. In the nematic phase, both ¹H-¹H dipolar couplings and quadrupolar splittings for deuterium nuclei were measured for partially-deuterated samples. Both proton and deuterium spectra were also obtained for 6OCB in an equimolar mixture with 4-(ethoxybenzylidene)-4'-butylaniline (EBBA). This mixture exhibits SmA and SmB phases. The data obtained from these experiments has been analysed to yield the probability distribution of the conformations in this molecule generated by rotations about bonds. It is found that there is a substantial influence of the orientational order of the molecules on these distributions.     

Quantification of global orientational order in organic solids by magic-angle spinning deuterium NMR with rotor synchronization

A new method for the characterization of orientational order in organic solids based on magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy is introduced. The method is related to the rotor-synchronized magic-angle spinning experiment proposed by Harbison and Spiess [Chem. Phys. Lett. 124, 128 (1986)], but exploits the anisotropy of the deuterium quadrupolar coupling instead of the carbon-13 chemical shielding anisotropy. Magic-angle spinning provides a sensitivity advantage over pseudostatic techniques; using the deuterium quadrupolar coupling makes the method applicable to systems that do not exhibit large carbon chemical shift anisotropies, such as aliphatic polymers. Due to the magnitude of the deuterium quadrupolar coupling, a large number of spinning sidebands can be reliably observed, allowing for a precise determination of the orientational distribution function. Experimental data are analyzed in terms of Wigner matrix basis functions as well as the conjugate orthogonal functions framework. Unidirectionally cold-drawn poly(ethylene) is used as an example to demonstrate the method.     

2D-NMR strategy dedicated to the analysis of weakly ordered,fully deuterated enantiomers in chiral liquid crystals

Methods for the assignment of the quadrupolar doublets in the deuterium NMR spectra of weakly ordered, perdeuterated or partially deuterated enantiomers dissolved in chiral liquid crystals are described which use robust 2D correlation NMR experiments. To overcome a lack of resolution in deuterium tilted Q-COSY 2D spectra in such materials, we propose and explore a correlation 2D sequence which is based on deuterium-carbon 2D correlation spectroscopy. The technique results in a (13)C-(2)H contour plot and allows the full resonance assignment of overcrowded deuterium 1D spectra using carbon-deuterium correlations. The (2)H autocorrelation and (13)C-(2)H correlation experiments are applied in the case of a racemic mixture of 2-ethylhexanoic acid-d(15) dissolved in a polypeptidic chiral oriented solvent. The performance and the limits of both techniques are presented and discussed. For the last step of the assignment procedure, we propose a simple method for obtaining two coherent sets of quadrupolar splittings, one for each enantiomer.     

Solid-state 93Nb and 13C NMR investigations of half-sandwich niobium(I) and niobium(V) cyclopentadienyl complexes

Solid-state 93Nb and 13C NMR experiments, in combination with theoretical calculations of NMR tensors, and single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction experiments, are applied for the comprehensive characterization of structure and dynamics in a series of organometallic niobium complexes. Half-sandwich niobium metallocenes of the forms Cp'Nb(I)(CO)4 and CpNb(V)Cl4 are investigated, where Cp = C5H5- and Cp' = C5H4R- with R = COMe, CO2Me, CO2Et, and COCH2Ph. Anisotropic quadrupolar and chemical shielding (CS) parameters are extracted from 93Nb MAS and static NMR spectra for seven different complexes. It is demonstrated that 93Nb NMR parameters are sensitive to changes in temperature and Cp' ring substitution in the Cp'Nb(I)(CO)4 complexes. There are dramatic differences in the 93Nb quadrupolar coupling constants (C(Q)) between the Nb(I) and Nb(V) complexes, with C(Q) between 1.0 and 12.0 MHz for Cp'Nb(CO)4 and C(Q) = 54.5 MHz for CpNbCl4. The quadrupolar Carr-Purcell Meiboom-Gill (QCPMG) pulse sequence is applied to rapidly acquire, in a piecewise fashion, a high signal-to-noise ultra-wide-line 93Nb NMR spectrum of CpNbCl4, which has a breadth of ca. 400 kHz. Solid-state 93Nb and 13C NMR spectra and powder XRD data are used to identify a new metallocene adduct coordinated at the axial position of the metal site by a THF molecule: CpNb(V)Cl4.THF. 13C MAS and CP/MAS NMR experiments are used to assess the purity of samples, as well as for measuring carbon CS tensors and the rare instance of one-bond 93Nb, 13C J-coupling, 1J(93Nb,13C). Theoretically calculated CS and electric field gradient (EFG) tensors are utilized to determine relationships between tensor orientations, the principal components, and molecular structures.     

Q.E.COSY: determining sign and size of small deuterium residual quadrupolar couplings using an extended E.COSY principle

Residual quadrupolar couplings contain important structural information comparable with residual dipolar couplings. However, the measurement of sign and size of especially small residual quadrupolar couplings is difficult. Here, we present an extension of the E.COSY principle to spin systems consisting of a Spin 1 coupled to a spin ½ nucleus, which allows the determination of the sign of the quadrupolar coupling of the Spin 1 nucleus relative to the heteronuclear coupling between the spins. The so‐called Q.E.COSY approach is demonstrated with its sign‐sensitivity using variable angle NMR, stretched gels and liquid crystalline phases applied to various CD and CD₃ groups. Especially the sign‐sensitive measurement of residual quadrupolar couplings that remain unresolved in conventional deuterium 1D spectra is shown. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Visualization of enantiomers in cholesteric solvents through deuterium NMR

Proton decoupled deuterium NMR of mixtures of enantiomers in homogeneously oriented cholesteric solvents produces simple spectra with linewidths of 10 to 50 Hz in cases where the proton spectra would give second order patterns so complicated as to defy analysis. The chiral solvent orders each of a pair of enantiomers differently which results in a difference in the residual quadrupolar coupling constant yielding well resolved spectra for each enantiomer. That the technique constitutes a new tool for measurement of enantiomeric ratios is illustrated using several chiral benzylic alcohols.     

Solid‐state NMR characterization of oxygen sites in organically modified aluminosilicate xerogels

Solid‐state NMR characterization of hybrid aluminosilicate xerogels, by ¹⁷O magic angle spinning (MAS) and triple quantum magic angle spinning (MQMAS) techniques, evidences Si—O—Si and Si—O—Al oxygen sites, spectrally separated in MQMAS experiments. Inversion of the MQMAS spectra allows the measurement of quadrupolar parameters, isotropic chemical shifts, distribution of chemical shift and discussion of the mobility of the structural units. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Deuterium spin probes of side-chain dynamics in proteins. 1. Measurement of five relaxation rates per deuteron in (13)C-labeled and fractionally (2)H-enriched proteins in solution

New pulse sequences are presented for the measurement of the relaxation of deuterium double quantum, quadrupolar order, and transverse antiphase magnetization in (13)CH(2)D methyl groups of (15)N-, (13)C-labeled, fractionally deuterated proteins. Together with previously developed experiments for measuring deuterium longitudinal and transverse decay rates [Muhandiram, D. R.; Yamazaki, T.; Sykes, B. D.; Kay, L. E. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 11536], these schemes allow measurement of the five unique decay constants of a single deuteron, providing an unprecedented opportunity to investigate side-chain dynamics in proteins. All five deuterium relaxation rates have been measured for deuterons in the methyl groups of the B1 immunoglobulin binding domain of peptostreptococcal protein L and the N-terminal SH3 domain from the protein drk. Since values of the spectral density function at only three different frequencies contribute to the five relaxation rates, the self-consistency of the relaxation data is readily established. Very good agreement is obtained between calculated parameters describing the amplitudes and time scales of motion when different subsets of the relaxation data are employed.     

Effects of adsorbate molecules on the quadrupolar interaction of framework aluminum atoms in dehydrated zeolite H,Na-Y

The effect of adsorbate molecules on the quadrupolar interaction of framework aluminum atoms with the electric field gradient in dehydrated zeolite H,Na-Y has been studied by (27)Al MAS NMR and (27)Al MQMAS NMR spectroscopy at magnetic fields of 9.4 and 17.6 T. Upon adsorption of molecules interacting with bridging OH groups by hydrogen bonds (acetonitrile and acetone), the quadrupole coupling constant of framework aluminum atoms was found to decrease from 16.0 MHz (unloaded zeolite) to 9.4 MHz. Adsorption of molecules, which cause a proton transfer from the zeolite framework to the adsorbates (ammonia and pyridine), reduces the quadrupole coupling constant to 3.8 MHz for coverages of 0.5-2 molecules per bridging OH group. The experiments indicate that the quadrupole coupling constant of framework aluminum atoms in dehydrated zeolite H,Na-Y reflects the chemical state of adsorbate complexes formed at bridging OH groups. In agreement with earlier investigations it was found that a proton affinity of the adsorbate molecules of PA = 812-854 kJ/mol is necessary to induce a proton transfer from the zeolite framework to the adsorbed compounds. This proton transfer is accompanied by a strong improvement of the tetrahedral symmetry of zeolitic framework AlO(4) tetrahedra and a decrease of the electric field gradient.     

Visualization of enantiomers in cholesteric solvents through deuterium NMR

Abstract

Proton decoupled deuterium NMR of mixtures of enantiomers in homogeneously oriented cholesteric solvents produces simple spectra with linewidths of 10 to 50 Hz in cases where the proton spectra would give second order patterns so complicated as to defy analysis. The chiral solvent orders each of a pair of enantiomers differently which results in a difference in the residual quadrupolar coupling constant yielding well resolved spectra for each enantiomer. That the technique constitutes a new tool for measurement of enantiomeric ratios is illustrated using several chiral benzylic alcohols.     

The structure and conformation of a mesogenic compound between almost zero and almost complete orientational order

The conformational distributions in molecules that form liquid crystalline phases are predicted to depend strongly on orientational order. Results are presented here to test this hypothesis. The mesogen 4‐hexyloxy‐4′‐cyanobiphenyl (6OCB) has been studied by NMR spectroscopy in the isotropic phase and in the nematic phase. In the isotropic phase the field‐induced orientational ordering produces small dipolar couplings between ¹³C and ¹H nuclei, which were determined from the ¹³C spectra. Couplings between ¹H nuclei were also obtained using 2D selective refocusing experiments. In the nematic phase, both ¹H–¹H dipolar couplings and quadrupolar splittings for deuterium nuclei were measured for partially‐deuterated samples. Both proton and deuterium spectra were also obtained for 6OCB in an equimolar mixture with 4‐(ethoxybenzylidene)‐4′‐butylaniline (EBBA). This mixture exhibits SmA and SmB phases. The data obtained from these experiments has been analysed to yield the probability distribution of the conformations in this molecule generated by rotations about bonds. It is found that there is a substantial influence of the orientational order of the molecules on these distributions.     

Effective Floquet Hamiltonians for dipolar and quadrupolar coupled N-spin systems in solid state nuclear magnetic resonance under magic angle spinning

Spin dynamics under magic angle spinning has been studied using different theoretical approaches and also by extensive numerical simulation programs. In this article we present a general theoretical approach that leads to analytic forms for effective Hamiltonians for an N-spin dipolar and quadrupolar coupled system under magic angle spinning (MAS) conditions, using a combination of Floquet theory and van Vleck (contact) transformation. The analytic forms presented are shown to be useful for the study of MAS spin dynamics in solids with the help of a number of simulations in two, three, and four coupled, spin-1/2 systems as well as spins in which quadrupolar interactions are also present.