The interaction of water molecules with purple membrane suspension using2H double-quantum filter,1H and2H diffusion nuclear magnetic resonance

2Q NMR of (2)H2O ordering at solid interfaces

Solvent ordering at an interface can be studied by multiple-quantum NMR. Quantitative studies of (2)H2O ordering require clean double-quantum (2Q) filtration and an analysis of 2Q buildup curves that accounts for relaxation and, if randomly oriented samples are used, the distribution of residual couplings. A pulse sequence with absorption mode detection is extended for separating coherences by order and measuring relaxation times such as the 2Q filtered T2. Coherence separation is used to verify 2Q filtration and the 2Q filtered T2 is required to extract the coupling from the 2Q buildup curve when it is unresolved. With our analysis, the coupling extracted from the buildup curve in (2)H2O hydrated collagen was equivalent to the resolved coupling measured in the usual 1D experiment and the 2Q to 1Q signal ratio was in accord with theory. Application to buildup curves from (2)H2O hydrated elastin, which has an unresolved coupling, revealed a large increase in the 2Q signal upon mechanical stretch that is due to an increase in the ordered water fraction while changes in the residual coupling and T2 are small.

Simulation studies of instrumental artifacts on spin I=1 double quantum filtered NMR spectroscopy

We report on the results of a simulation based study of the effect of various experimental artifacts for spin I=1 double quantum filtered NMR. The simulation captures the effects of static field inhomogeneity, finite pulse widths, phase errors, transients and radio frequency field inhomogeneity. We simulated the spectral distortions introduced under these errors for four, eight and sixteen step phase cycles that are well known in the NMR community. The dominating pulse errors are radio frequency field inhomogeneity and antisymmetric pulse transients. These errors result in the reduction of signal intensity as well as an introduction of distortions in the detected double quantum filtered spectrum. Using the simulation tool we studied the improvement one obtains when implementing a sixteen step phase cycle over a four step phase cycle. The results indicate that implementing a sixteen step phase cycle over an eight or four step phase cycle does not result in a significant reduction in the DQF intensity loss, or reduction in spectral distortions for antisymmetric transients.

Octahydroxypyridine[4]arene Self-Assembles Spontaneously To Form Hexameric Capsules and Dimeric Aggregates

In recent years it has been observed that resorcin[4]arenes and pyrogallol[4]arenes form hydrogen-bonded hexameric capsules in nonpolar solvents. In the present study we have used NMR spectroscopy, with an emphasis on diffusion NMR, to investigate the self-assembly and the aggregation mode of solutions of octahydroxypyridine[4]arene (1 b) in chloroform. In spectroscopic studies, the hexameric capsule of C-undecylresorcin[4]arene (2 b) was used as a reference compound and in some cases also as an internal reference. The current diffusion NMR spectroscopy study shows, in contrast to a previous report, that compound 1 b self-assembles spontaneously into hexameric and dimeric aggregates in solutions in chloroform. The (1)H NMR and diffusion NMR spectroscopic studies on a solution of 1 b in CHCl(3) show the presence of new upfield-shifted peaks, which diffuse with the same diffusion coefficient as the hexameric peaks in the spectrum. Therefore, these new upfield-shifted peaks were attributed to encapsulated CHCl(3) molecules. Interestingly, diffusion NMR measurements showed that the addition of trifluoroacetic acid (6.7 equiv), which had no effect on the hexameric capsules of 2 b, led to the disassembly of the hexamer and the dimer of 1 b into its monomers. Therefore, we conclude that compound 1 b self-assembles spontaneously into hexameric capsules in nonpolar organic solvents, as do resorcin[4]arenes 2 b and 2 c and pyrogallol[4]arenes 3 a and 3 b.