Quantitative Comparison of REAPDOR and TRAPDOR Experiments by Numerical Simulations and Determination of H–Al Distances in Zeolites

Quantitative H–Al distances in acid sites of two zeolites with MFI and IFR framework topology were obtained by numerical simulation of ¹H{²⁷Al} rotational echo adiabatic passage double resonance (REAPDOR) experiments. A ²⁷Al offset-dependent data set yields for each resolved ¹H NMR line a corresponding nuclear electric quadrupole coupling constant of the neighboring ²⁷Al site. This information is used for analyzing a second data set for on-resonance irradiation, where the dipolar evolution time (number of rotor cycles) was varied, to yield the ¹H–²⁷Al dipolar coupling constant. Numerical simulations indicate that the REAPDOR method does not depend significantly on the polar angles, defining the orientation of the electric field gradient tensor of ²⁷Al with respect to the Al–H dipolar vector. In contrast, the transfer of populations in double resonance sequence is sensitive to these angles, and it can be thus used to measure them.     

B-MQMAS and Si–{B} Double-Resonance NMR Studies on the Structure of Binary B2O3–SiO2 Glasses

Glasses in the system x B₂O₃·(1−x)SiO₂ (0.2≤x≤1.0) were studied using ¹¹B multiple quantum magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy (MQMAS), ²⁹Si–\{¹¹B\} rotational echo adiabatic passage double-resonance and ²⁹Si–\}¹¹B\{ CP heteronuclear correlation spectroscopy. The results can be quantitatively interpreted in terms of a phase separation of the borosilicate glasses into a virtually SiO₂-free B₂O₃ phase and a mixed borosilicate phase. While the MQMAS spectra allowed the site speciation and resolution of at least two different ¹¹B resonances, attributable to BO_3/2 units consumed in boroxol rings, BO_3/2 units connecting the boroxol rings and BO_3/2 units involved in B–O–Si linkages, the analysis of the double-resonance data further elucidated the structure of the mixed borosilicate phase. The results indicate that only a fraction of 0.48 mol B₂O₃ can be accommodated per mole SiO₂, building a mixed borosilicate network.