Variable temperature system using vortex tube cooling and fiber optic temperature measurement for low temperature magic angle spinning NMR

We describe the construction and operation of a variable temperature (VT) system for a high field fast magic angle spinning (MAS) probe. The probe is used in NMR investigations of biological macromolecules, where stable setting and continuous measurement of the temperature over periods of several days are required in order to prevent sample overheating and degradation. The VT system described is used at and below room temperature. A vortex tube is used to provide cooling in the temperature range of -20 to 20 degrees C, while a liquid nitrogen-cooled heat exchanger is used below -20 degrees C. Using this arrangement, the lowest temperature that is practically achievable is -140 degrees C. Measurement of the air temperature near the spinning rotor is accomplished using a fiber optic thermometer that utilizes the temperature dependence of the absorption edge of GaAs. The absorption edge of GaAs also has a magnetic field dependence that we have measured and corrected for. This dependence was calibrated at several field strengths using the well-known temperature dependence of the (1)H chemical shift difference of the protons in methanol.     

Characterization of the surface of positive electrodes for Li-ion batteries using 7Li MAS NMR

The growth and evolution of the interphase, due to contact with the ambient atmosphere or electrolyte, are followed using ⁷Li magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) in the case of two materials amongst the most promising candidates for positive electrodes for lithium batteries: LiFePO₄ and LiMn_0.5Ni_0.5O₂. The use of appropriate experimental conditions to acquire the NMR signal allows observing only the «diamagnetic» lithium species at the surface of the grains of active material. The reaction of LiMn_0.5Ni_0.5O₂ with the ambient atmosphere or LiPF₆ (1 M in Ethylene Carbonated/DiMéthyl Carbonate (EC/DMC)) electrolyte is extremely fast and leads to an important amount of lithium-containing diamagnetic species compared to what can be observed in the case of LiFePO₄. The two studied materials display a completely different surface chemistry in terms of reactivity and/or kinetics of the surface towards electrolyte. Moreover, these results show that MAS NMR is a very promising tool to monitor phenomena taking place at the interface between electrode and electrolyte.     

High-field high-speed MAS resolution enhancement in 1H NMR spectroscopy of solids

Resolution in ¹H NMR spectra of solids can be significantly enhanced with fast magic-angle spinning and high magnetic fields. A variable field and spinning speed study up to 25 T and 40 kHz shows that the homogeneous line broadening is inversely proportional to the product of magnetic field strength and spinning speed. The combination of high field and fast speed yields a ¹H linewidth approaching the intrinsic limit determined by anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility. An analysis of the anisotropic magnetic susceptibility line broadening is presented.     

Precision and sensitivity optimization of quantitative measurements in solid state NMR

This work presents a methodology for optimizing the precision, accuracy and sensitivity of quantitative solid state NMR measurements based on the external reference method. It is shown that the sample must be exclusively located within and completely span the coil region where the NMR response is directly proportional to the sample amount. We describe two methods to determine this "quantitative" coil volume, based on whether the probe is equipped or not with a gradient coil. In addition, to improve the sensitivity and the accuracy, an optimum rotor packing design is described, which allows the sample volume of the rotor to be matched to the quantitative coil volume. Experiments conducted on adamantane and NaCl, which are representative of a soft and hard material, respectively, show that one order of magnitude increase in experimental precision can be achieved with this methodology. Interestingly, the precision can be further improved by using the ERETIC method in order to compensate for most instrumental instabilities.     

Proton-detected scalar coupling based assignment strategies in MAS solid-state NMR spectroscopy applied to perdeuterated proteins

Assignment of proteins in MAS (magic angle spinning) solid-state NMR relies so far on correlations among heteronuclei. This strategy is based on well dispersed resonances in the ¹⁵N dimension. In many complex cases like membrane proteins or amyloid fibrils, an additional frequency dimension is desirable in order to spread the amide resonances. We show here that proton detected HNCO, HNCA, and HNCACB type experiments can successfully be implemented in the solid-state. Coherences are sufficiently long lived to allow pulse schemes of a duration greater than 70 ms before incrementation of the first indirect dimension. The achieved resolution is comparable to the resolution obtained in solution-state NMR experiments. We demonstrate the experiments using a triply labeled sample of the SH3 domain of chicken α-spectrin, which was re-crystallized in H₂O/D₂O using a ratio of 1/9. We employ paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) using EDTA chelated Cu^II to enable rapid data acquisition.     

N(nPr)4[B5O6(OH)4][B(OH)3]2 and N(nBu)4[B5O6(OH)4][B(OH)3]2: Clathrates with a diamondoid arrangement of hydrogen-bonded pentaborate anions

Single-crystal X-ray structure analyses of N(nPr)₄[B₅O₆(OH)₄][B(OH)₃]₂,1, and N(nBu)₄ [B₅O₆(OH)₄][B(OH)₃]₂,2, reveal that these materials are novel clathrates, the isotypic host structures of which are three-dimensional assemblies of hydrogen-bonded [B₅O₆(OH)₄]^– ionsand B(OH)₃ molecules. The assembly of only the pentaborate anions is a distorted (i.e., along [102] elongated) fourconnected diamond-related network. The N(nPr) ₄ ⁺ and N(nBu) ₄ ⁺ ions are trapped within the complex three-dimensional channel systems of the host frameworks. Both1 and2 crystallize monoclinically with space groupP2₁/c andZ=4. The cell constants are:1:a=13.592(5),b=12.082(2),c=17.355(6) Å, =106.60(2)° (298K);2:a=13.874(3),b=12.585(1),c=17.588(4) Å, =107.04(1)° (238 K). The results obtained by both¹¹B and¹³C MAS NMR spectroscopy are discussed. Thermogravimetric studies under a flowing inert-gas atmosphere suggest that water, stemming from polycondensation of the hydrous borate species, is released from the clathrates at ca. 443 K (1) and 398 K (2) before the decomposition of the organic cations starts at ca. 603 K (1) and 603 K (2).Author for correspondence. Supplementary Data relating to this article are deposited with the British Library as supplementary publication No. SUP 82172 (82 pages).     

Synthesen,Einkristall-Röntgenstrukturanalysen und 29Si-Festkörper-NMR-Untersuchungen eines zwitterionischen λ5-Spirosilicats und eines käfigartigen Octa(silasesquioxans)

Syntheses, Single-Crystal X-Ray Analyses and Solid-State ²⁹Si NMR Studies of a Zwitterionic λ⁵-Spirosilicate and a Cage-like Octa(silasesquioxane) The zwitterionic λ⁵-spirosilicate bis[2,3-naphthalenediolato(2 ?)][2-(dimethylammonio)phenyl]silicate ( 1 ; isolated as 1 · 1/2 CH₃CN) was synthesized by reaction of the [2-(dimethylamino)phenyl]dimethoxyorganosilanes 5, 6 and 7 [2-(Me₂N)C₆H₄Si(OMe)₂R: R = Ph ( 5 ), cyclo? C₆H₁₁ ( 6 ), Me ( 7 )] with 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene in acetonitrile at room temperature. Reaction of 1 · 1/2 CH₃CN or [2-(dimethylamino)phenyl]trimethoxysilane ( 3 ) with water in acetonitrile yielded the cage-like octa{[2-(dimethylamino)phenyl]silasesquioxane} ( 2 ). The crystal structures of 1 · 1/2 CH₃CN and 2 were studied by X-ray diffraction. In addition, 1 · 1/2 CH₃CN and 2 were characterized by solid-state (²⁹Si CP/MAS) and solution NMR studies (¹H, ¹³C, ²⁹Si).     

Tautomeric polymorphism in salicylideneamine derivatives: an X-ray diffraction and solid-state NMR study

The crystal structure of the N-(3-hydroxysalicylidene)-4-methoxyaniline has been studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. This is the first example of a Schiff base derived from 3-hydroxysalicylaldehyde which displays in the asymmetric unit, four distinct molecules linked together in the crystal lattice by two types of intermolecular O–HO hydrogen bonds and formed by two independent tetramers. The ¹³C CPMAS NMR study corroborates the above results; the presence of different tautomeric equilibria in the same crystal structure is demonstrated and a qualitative estimation of the equilibrium mixture composition is given.     

13C CP/MAS NMR studies of morphological changes in polypropylene: 2. The double melting endotherm of spunbonded fabrics

The double melting endotherm of spunbonded isotactic polypropylene (iPP) fabrics was investigated by monitoring changes in the solid-state NMR spectrum that result from thermal annealing. The DSC melting thermogram was found to change from a double to a single endotherm at anneal temperatures ≥156°C, with a concomitant increase in percent crystallinity. All of the carbon resonances in the CP/MAS NMR spectrum of the purely crystalline phase of iPP were found to be composed of multiple peaks with relative intensities that depend on anneal temperature. By monitoring the changes in the distribution of intensity among the various peaks of a given resonance, a transition temperature of 156°C was identified. Arguments are presented that this redistribution of intensity within a given carbon resonance characterizes the transformation from the α₁ to the α₂ monoclinic crystal form. The exothermicity associated with this transformation is responsible for the observation of a double melting endotherm by DSC. The splitting patterns observed in the NMR spectrum are discussed in terms of interlayer distances between layers of isochiral helices and the density of exposed methyls at the contact faces of these interlayers. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Neue Verbindungen im System CaO/SiO2/CaCl2/H2O

New Compounds in the System CaO/SiO₂/CaCl₂/H₂O The hydrothermal formation of novel calcium silicate hydrates of compositions 5 CaO · 2 SiO₂ · CaCl₂ · 4 H₂O, 5 CaO · 2 SiO₂ · CaCl₂ · 2 H₂O and 4 CaO · 2 SiO₂ · CaCl₂ · H₂O from Ca₃SiO₅ and mixtures of CaO and SiO₂, respectively, in presence of calciumchloride at 200°–350 °C is described. From molybdate-reaction, ²⁹Si MAS NMR, DTA and TG measurements it is concluded that these compounds are based on disilicate anions and are to be interpreted as calcium hydroxide disilicate chlorides.