A high-field solid-state 35/37Cl NMR and quantum chemical investigation of the chlorine quadrupolar and chemical shift tensors in amino acid hydrochlorides

A series of six L-amino acid hydrochloride salts has been studied by 35/37Cl solid-state NMR spectroscopy (at 11.75 and 21.1 T) and complementary quantum chemical calculations. Analyses of NMR spectra acquired under static and magic-angle-spinning conditions for the six hydrochloride salts, those of aspartic acid, alanine, cysteine, histidine, methionine and threonine, allowed the extraction of information regarding the chlorine electric field gradient (EFG) and chemical shift tensors, including their relative orientation. Both tensors are found to be highly dependent on the local environment, with chlorine-35 quadrupolar coupling constants (CQ) ranging from -7.1 to 4.41 MHz and chemical shift tensor spans ranging from 60 to 100 ppm; the value of CQ for aspartic acid hydrochloride is the largest in magnitude observed to date for an organic hydrochloride salt. Quantum chemical calculations performed on cluster models of the chloride ion environment demonstrated agreement between experiment and theory, reproducing CQ to within 18%. In addition, the accuracy of the calculated values of the NMR parameters as a function of the quality of the input structure was explored. Selected X-ray structures were determined (L-Asp HCl; L-Thr HCl) or re-determined (L-Cys HCl.H2O) to demonstrate the benefits of having accurate crystal structures for calculations. The self-consistent charge field perturbation model was also employed and was found to improve the accuracy of calculated quadrupolar coupling constants, demonstrating the impact of the neighbouring ions on the EFG tensor of the central chloride ion. Taken together, the present work contributes to an improved understanding of the factors influencing 35/37Cl NMR interaction tensors in organic hydrochlorides.     

Exploring reaction pathways with transition path and umbrella sampling: application to methyl maltoside

The transition path sampling (TPS) method is a powerful approach to study chemical reactions or transitional properties on complex potential energy landscapes. One of the main advantages of the method over potential of mean force methods is that reaction rates can be directly accessed without knowledge of the exact reaction coordinate. We have investigated the complementary nature of these two differing approaches, comparing transition path sampling with the weighted histogram analysis method to study a conformational change in a small model system. In this case study, the transition paths for a transition between two rotational conformers of a model disaccharide molecule, methyl beta-D-maltoside, were compared with a free energy surface constrained by the two commonly used glycosidic (phi,psi) torsional angles. The TPS method revealed a reaction channel that was not apparent from the potential of mean force method, and the suitability of phi and psi as reaction coordinates to describe the isomerization in vacuo was confirmed by examination of the transition path ensemble. Using both transition state theory and transition path sampling methods, the transition rate was estimated. We have estimated a characteristic time between transitions of approximately 160 ns for this rare isomerization event between the two conformations of the carbohydrate. We conclude that transition path sampling can extract subtle information about the dynamics not apparent from the potential of mean force method. However, in calculating the reaction rate, the transition path sampling method required 27.5 times the computational effort than was needed by the potential of mean force method.     

The interplay of inverted redox potentials and aromaticity in the oxidized states of new pi-electron donors: 9-(1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)fluorene and 9-(1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)thioxanthene derivatives

Derivatives of 9-(1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)fluorene (9) and 9-(1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)thioxanthene (10) have been synthesised using Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions of (1,3-dithiol-2-yl)phosphonate reagents with fluorenone and thioxanthen-9-one. X-ray crystallography, solution electrochemistry, optical spectroscopy, spectroelectrochemistry and simultaneous electrochemistry and electron paramagnetic resonance (SEEPR), combined with theoretical calculations performed at the B3P86/6-31G** level, elucidate the interplay of the electronic and structural properties in these molecules. These compounds are strong two-electron donors, and the oxidation potentials depend on the electronic structure of the oxidised state. Two, single-electron oxidations (E(1)ox < E(1)ox) were observed for 9-(1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)fluorene systems (9). In contrast, derivatives of 9-(1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)thioxanthene (10) display the unusual phenomenon of inverted potentials (E(1)ox > E(1)ox) resulting in a single, two-electron oxidation process. The latter is due to the aromatic structure of the thioxanthenium cation (formed on the loss of a second electron), which stabilises the dication state (10(2+)) compared with the radical cation. This contrasts with the nonaromatic structure of the fluorenium cation of system 9. The two-electron oxidation wave in the thioxanthene derivatives is split into two separate one-electron waves in the corresponding sulfoxide and sulfone derivatives 27-29 owing to destabilisation of the dication state.     

Electronic interactions in a new pi-extended tetrathiafulvalene dimer

The first pi-extended tetrathiafulvalene (exTTF) dimer in which the two exTTF units are covalently connected by 1,3-dithiole rings has been obtained in a multistep synthetic procedure involving the Ullmann cross-coupling reaction by using copper(I) thiophene-2-carboxylate (CuTC). The electronic spectrum reveals a significant electronic interaction between the exTTF units. The electrochemical study carried out by cyclic voltammetry in solution and in thin-layer conditions, and the electrochemical simulation and spectroelectrochemical (SEC) measurements confirm the electronic communication and show that the oxidation of dimer 14 occurs as two consecutive 2 e(-) processes D(0)-D(0)-->D(2+)-D(0)-->D(2+)-D(2+). Theoretical calculations, performed at the B3P86/6-31G* level, confirm the experimental findings and predict that 14(2+) exists as a delocalized D(.+)-D(.+) species in the gas phase and as a localized D(2+)-D(0) species in solution (CH(3)CN or CH(2)Cl(2)). Oxidation of 14(2+) forms the tetracation 14(4+) which is constituted by two aromatic anthracene units bearing four aromatic, almost orthogonal 1,3-dithiolium cations.     

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy of the quadrupolar halogens: chlorine-35/37, bromine-79/81, and iodine-127

A thorough review of 35/37Cl, 79/81Br, and 127I solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) data is presented. Isotropic chemical shifts (CS), quadrupolar coupling constants, and other available information on the magnitude and orientation of the CS and electric field gradient (EFG) tensors for chlorine, bromine, and iodine in diverse chemical compounds is tabulated on the basis of over 200 references. Our coverage is through July 2005. Special emphasis is placed on the information available from the study of powdered diamagnetic solids in high magnetic fields. Our survey indicates a recent notable increase in the number of applications of solid-state quadrupolar halogen NMR, particularly 35Cl NMR, as high magnetic fields have become more widely available to solid-state NMR spectroscopists. We conclude with an assessment of possible future directions for research involving 35/37Cl, 79/81Br, and 127I solid-state NMR spectroscopy.     

A chelate-stabilized ruthenium(sigma-pyrrolato) complex: resolving ambiguities in nuclearity and coordination geometry through 1H PGSE and 31P solid-state NMR studies

Reaction of RuCl2(PPh3)3 with LiNN' (NN' = 2-[(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imino]pyrrolide) affords a single product, with the empirical formula RuCl[(2,6-iPr2C6H3)N=CHC4H3N](PPh3)2. We identify this species as a sigma-pyrrolato complex, [Ru(NN')(PPh3)2]2(mu-Cl)2 (3b), rather than mononuclear RuCl(NN')(PPh3)2 (3a), on the basis of detailed 1D and 2D NMR characterization in solution and in the solid state. Retention of the chelating, sigma-bound iminopyrrolato unit within 3b, despite the presence of labile (dative) chloride and PPh3 donors, indicates that the chelate effect is sufficient to inhibit sigma --> pi isomerization of 3b to a piano-stool, pi-pyrrolato structure. 2D COSY, SECSY, and J-resolved solid-state 31P NMR experiments confirm that the PPh3 ligands on each metal center are magnetically and crystallographically inequivalent, and 31P CP/MAS NMR experiments reveal the largest 99Ru-31P spin-spin coupling constant (1J(99Ru,31P) = 244 +/- 20 Hz) yet measured. Finally, 31P dipolar-chemical shift spectroscopy is applied to determine benchmark phosphorus chemical shift tensors for phosphine ligands in hexacoordinate ruthenium complexes.     

A combined solid-state NMR and X-ray crystallography study of the bromide ion environments in triphenylphosphonium bromides

Multinuclear ((31)P and (79/81)Br), multifield (9.4, 11.75, and 21.1 T) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments are performed for seven phosphonium bromides bearing the triphenylphosphonium cation, a molecular scaffold found in many applications in chemistry. This is undertaken to fully characterise their bromine electric field gradient (EFG) tensors, as well as the chemical shift (CS) tensors of both the halogen and the phosphorus nuclei, providing a rare and novel insight into the local electronic environments surrounding them. New crystal structures, obtained from single-crystal X-ray diffraction, are reported for six compounds to aid in the interpretation of the NMR data. Among them is a new structure of BrPPh(4), because the previously reported one was inconsistent with our magnetic resonance data, thereby demonstrating how NMR data of non-standard nuclei can correct or improve X-ray diffraction data. Our results indicate that, despite sizable quadrupolar interactions, (79/81)Br magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a powerful characterisation tool that allows for the differentiation between chemically similar bromine sites, as shown through the range in the characteristic NMR parameters. (35/37)Cl solid-state NMR data, obtained for an analogous phosphonium chloride sample, provide insight into the relationship between unit cell volume, nuclear quadrupolar coupling constants, and Sternheimer antishielding factors. The experimental findings are complemented by gauge-including projector-augmented wave (GIPAW) DFT calculations, which substantiate our experimentally determined strong dependence of the largest component of the bromine CS tensor, δ(11), on the shortest Br-P distance in the crystal structure, a finding that has possible application in the field of NMR crystallography. This trend is explained in terms of Ramsey's theory on paramagnetic shielding. Overall, this work demonstrates how careful NMR studies of underexploited exotic nuclides, such as (79/81)Br, can afford insights into structure and bonding environments in the solid state.     

23Na double-rotation NMR of sodium nucleotides leads to the discovery of a new dCMP hendecahydrate

Obtaining definitive information concerning the coordination environment of sodium ions which balance the negative charges found in nucleotides is a challenging task. We show that high resolution 1D and 2D (23)Na NMR spectra of sodium nucleotides obtained in the solid state with the use of double-rotation (DOR) provide valuable structural information. Sensitive spin diffusion homonuclear correlation experiments are used to establish the relative proximities of various pairs of crystallographically distinct Na sites and to assign the spectral resonances. Additionally, the DOR sidebands are simulated to obtain coordination information which is complementary to that obtained using multiple-quantum magic-angle spinning NMR spectra. These experiments led us to discover a new hendecahydrate of deoxycytidine monophosphate (dCMP), the structure of which is confirmed via single-crystal X-ray diffraction. This hydrate crystallizes reproducibly when deuterated water is used exclusively in the preparation process.     

A Combined Solid‐State NMR and X‐ray Crystallography Study of the Bromide Ion Environments in Triphenylphosphonium Bromides

Multinuclear (³¹P and ^79/81Br), multifield (9.4, 11.75, and 21.1 T) solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments are performed for seven phosphonium bromides bearing the triphenylphosphonium cation, a molecular scaffold found in many applications in chemistry. This is undertaken to fully characterise their bromine electric field gradient (EFG) tensors, as well as the chemical shift (CS) tensors of both the halogen and the phosphorus nuclei, providing a rare and novel insight into the local electronic environments surrounding them. New crystal structures, obtained from single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, are reported for six compounds to aid in the interpretation of the NMR data. Among them is a new structure of BrPPh₄, because the previously reported one was inconsistent with our magnetic resonance data, thereby demonstrating how NMR data of non‐standard nuclei can correct or improve X‐ray diffraction data. Our results indicate that, despite sizable quadrupolar interactions, ^79/81Br magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a powerful characterisation tool that allows for the differentiation between chemically similar bromine sites, as shown through the range in the characteristic NMR parameters. ^35/37Cl solid‐state NMR data, obtained for an analogous phosphonium chloride sample, provide insight into the relationship between unit cell volume, nuclear quadrupolar coupling constants, and Sternheimer antishielding factors. The experimental findings are complemented by gauge‐including projector‐augmented wave (GIPAW) DFT calculations, which substantiate our experimentally determined strong dependence of the largest component of the bromine CS tensor, δ₁₁, on the shortest Br? P distance in the crystal structure, a finding that has possible application in the field of NMR crystallography. This trend is explained in terms of Ramsey’s theory on paramagnetic shielding. Overall, this work demonstrates how careful NMR studies of underexploited exotic nuclides, such as ^79/81Br, can afford insights into structure and bonding environments in the solid state.