One- and two-dimensional 1H magic-angle spinning experiments on hydrous silicate glasses

Effects of Na/K-Cl Salts on Hydrolysis of Aluminosilicate Glass Using Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics

The structural and chemical modifications on the surface of pure and alkali-doped aluminosilicate (AS) glasses due to hydrolysis are investigated using ab initio molecular dynamics. The effects of water on the glass network are fully elucidated by analyzing the short- and intermediate-range structural orders embedded in the pair distribution function, bond length and angle distribution, coordination number, and interatomic bonding. A novel concept of total bond order is used to quantify and compare the strength of bonds in hydrated and unhydrated glasses. We show that AS glass is hydrolyzed by water diffusion near the surface and by proton (H+) transfers into the bulk, which increases with time. Hence, a dissolved glass-water interface becomes rich in Si-OH and Al-OH. The alkali ions associated with the nonbridging oxygen accelerate the hydrolysis by facilitating water and H+ diffusion. Al is more impacted by hydrolysis than Si, resulting in greater variation in the Al-O bond order than Si-O. Doping of NaCl and KCl enhances the ionization of water and the hydrolysis of ASs with increased salt concentration. The KCl doping ionizes more water molecules and causes more degradation of the glass network than NaCl. Co-doping of Na and K results in a mixed alkali effect due to complex interatomic bonding from different-sized ions. These exceptionally detailed findings in highly complex glasses with varying salt compositions provide new and unprecedented atomistic insights that can help to understand the hydrolysis and dissolution mechanisms of ASs and other silicate glasses.

Identification of Proton Populations in Cherts as Natural Analogues of Pure Silica Materials by Means of Low Field NMR

Recent theories about the sources of silica in bedded and nodular cherts do not fit the origin of cherts from the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. Since siliceous sponges as a single source of silica is questionable, assumptions about additional sources have to be verified. In order to do so, three samples of nodular cherts and one representative sample of bedded chert were studied by means of ¹H LF-NMR 1D and 2D relaxometry and complementary geochemical methods. The results were compared with the literature and standard silica materials which helped to identify five types of ¹H signal. The very distinct 1D-T ₂ spectra of the dried samples indicated the existence of closed pores which, after comprehensive analysis, were identified as inclusions filled with different types of siliceous materials. Saturation revealed the differences between nodular and bedded cherts that were visible mainly in the amount and size of open porosity. The principal component analysis of NMR parameters showed the excellent separation of these two groups of samples and this is well visible on the biplots. Additionally, the estimated pore size distribution revealed that the total porosity of around 2% consisted primarily of mesopores (2-50 nm in diameter) and macropores (diameter >50 nm). In bedded cherts, open porosity is dominated by macropores, while the share of mesopores and macropores is similar in nodular cherts.

Al coordination and water speciation in hydrous aluminosilicate glasses: direct evidence from high-resolution heteronuclear 1H-27Al correlation NMR

In order to shed light on the dissolution mechanisms of water in depolymerized aluminosilicate melts/glasses, a comprehensive one- (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) NMR study has been carried out on hydrous Ca- and Mg-aluminosilicate glasses of a haplobasaltic composition. The applied techniques include 1D 1H MAS NMR and 27Al-->1H cross-polarization (CP) MAS NMR, and 2D 1H NOESY and double-quantum (DQ) MAS NMR, 27Al triple-quantum (3Q) MAS NMR and 27Al-->1H heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) and 3QMAS/HETCOR NMR. Ab initio calculations were also performed to place additional constraints on the 1H NMR characteristics of AlOH and Si(OH)Al groups. This study has revealed, for the first time, the presence of free OH (i.e. (Ca, Mg)OH), SiOH and AlOH species, in addition to molecular H2O, in hydrous glasses of a depolymerized aluminosilicate composition. The AlOH groups are mostly associated with four-coordinate Al, but some are associated with five- and six-coordinate Al.

High-speed 1H MAS NMR investigations of the weathered surface of a phosphate glass

Solid-state high-speed 1H MAS NMR spectroscopy was used to investigate the weathered surface of a potassium aluminum phosphate (KAP) glass exposed to a humid environment (30K2O10Al2O360P2O5, mol%). Through the combination of spin-spin relaxation and double quantum (DQ) filtering it was possible to resolve seven or eight different proton environments within the weathered surface of the KAP glass. Two-dimensional (2D) DQ and 2D NOESY NMR correlation experiments were performed to probe the spatial proximity of these different proton species. These 1H-1H correlation experiments helped confirm the spectral assignments. The analysis of these different 1H environments provides additional information about the chemical processes that occur at the weathered glass surface.

Experimental aspects of proton NMR spectroscopy in solids using phase-modulated homonuclear dipolar decoupling

In this paper we demonstrate experimentally that the continuously phase-modulated homonuclear decoupling sequence DUMBO-1 is suitable for high-resolution proton NMR spectroscopy of rigid solids. Over a wide range of experimental conditions, we show on the model sample L-alanine as well as on small peptides that proton linewidths of less than 0.5 ppm can be obtained under DUMBO-1 decoupling. In particular the DUMBO-1 sequence yields well resolved proton spectra both at slow and fast MAS. The DUMBO-1 decoupling scheme can in principle be inserted in any multi-nuclear or multi-dimensional solid-state NMR experiment which requires a high-resolution 1H dimension. An example is provided with the 13C-1H MAS-J-HMQC experiment.

Influence of local molecular motions on the determination of 1H-1H internuclear distances measured by 2D 1H spin-exchange experiments

Analysis of spin-exchange build-up curves obtained by measurement of 2D 1H CRAMPS spectra of alpha-glycine was performed to evaluate the rate of 1H-1H spin-exchange process with respect to the influence of variation in internal molecular motion. Differences in local motions significantly affect spin-exchange constants even in highly rigid organic solids with virtually uniform motion behavior. The polarization transfer between nonequivalent alpha-protons is described by the spin-exchange constant D=0.77 nm(2)ms(-1), while the polarization transfer involving spin exchange between alphaH and NH(3)(+) protons is characterized by D=0.24-0.21 nm(2)ms(-1). This significant decrease corresponds to rotation of hydrogen-bonded amino groups. Neglecting this variation in local spin-exchange constants the resulting calculated 1H-1H distance can be overestimated by up to 100%. Complications following from relayed and back polarization transfer involving the nearest spins within one functional group (e.g., CH(2) and/or NH(3)(+)) and intermolecular spin exchange are discussed. It was shown that 2H quadrupolar splitting determined for selected sites directly correlates with the experimentally observed differences in spin-exchange coefficients. It is also demonstrated that a medium level quantum chemical calculation of molecular dynamics provides relevant data that can be used to estimate differences in molecular motions.

A study of a moleculartweezer host-guest system by a combination of quantum-chemical calculations and solid-state NMR experiments

A study of a host-guest system consisting of a naphthalene-spaced tweezer with a 1,4 dicyanobenzene guest molecule is presented. The complex is investigated using a combination of quantum-chemical calculations and solid-state NMR experiments. The advantages of such an approach are illustrated. The focus is on the calculation of (1) 1H NMR and (2) 13C NMR chemical shifts for model fragments of the solid-state structure, (3) the analysis of host-guest interactions important for molecular recognition, and (4) the investigation of the process of a guest molecule rotation. For modeling the solid-state structure, up to three host-guest units are considered and the convergence with respect to the size of the solid-state fragment is investigated.