NMR investigations of Co(III) coordination compounds oriented in a dilute lyotropic liquid crystal

A swollen lamellar phase, based on sodium dodecyl sulfate, pentanol and NaBr brine, was examined by means of NMR spectroscopy of isotopes with quadrupolar characteristics, namely 2H, 17O, 23Na and 81Br, present at natural abundance. Such a dilute lyotropic liquid crystal was capable of inducing a preferential orientation of the cobalt coordination compounds Co(en)3]3+ and Co(acac)3, the 59Co NMR signals of which displayed quadrupolar splittings. Moreover, it imparted alignment in the magnetic field to the organocobaloxime ClCD2Co(Hdmg)2H2O], as shown by the quadrupolar splitting of the deuterium of the axial ligand.