Conformational analysis of a secondary hydroxamic acid in aqueous solution by NOE spectroscopy

Hydroxamic acids are metal‐binding compounds used by micro‐organisms and possess applications in medicine and industry. Hydroxamic acids favor two conformations, E and Z; metal binding is limited to the Z conformation. The Z conformation may be identifiable by NOE spectroscopy, but analysis is complicated by the potential for long‐range coupling as well as for relayed NOEs due to conformational switching. In this report, we re‐examine the reported conformational preference of N‐methyl acetohydroxamic acid (NMHA) in D₂O using NOE spectroscopy. We find that the favored conformation of NMHA in aqueous solution is the E conformation, contrary to an earlier report. NOE build‐up curves are proposed as a valuable tool to probe conformational behavior in similar systems. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.