Uniform broadband excitation of crystallites in rotating solids using interleaved sequences of delays alternating with nutation

Advanced Solid-State NMR Analysis of Two Crystal Forms of Ranitidine Hydrochloride: Detection of 1H-14N Intra-/Intermolecular Correlations

Understanding the characteristics of crystal polymorphism of active pharmaceutical ingredients and analyzing them with high sensitivity is important for quality of drug products, appropriate characterization strategies, and appropriate screening and selection processes. However, there are few methods to measure intra- and intermolecular correlations in crystals other than X-ray crystallography, for which it is sometimes difficult to obtain suitable single crystals. Recently, solid-state NMR has been recognized as a straightforward method for measuring molecular correlations. In this study, we selected ranitidine hydrochloride, which is known to exist in two forms, 1 and 2, as the model drug and investigated each form using solid-state NMR. In conducting the analysis, rotating the sample tube, which had a 1-mm inner diameter, increased the solid-state NMR resolution at 70 kHz. The ¹H-¹⁴N dipolar-based heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (D-HMQC) analysis revealed the intermolecular correlation of Form 1 between the N atom of the nitro group and a proton of the furan moiety, which were closer than those of the intramolecular correlation reported using single X-ray crystal analysis. Thus, ¹H-¹⁴N D-HMQC analysis could be useful for characterizing intermolecular interaction in ranitidine hydrochloride crystals. In addition, we reassigned the ¹³C solid-state NMR signals of ranitidine hydrochloride according to the liquid-state and multiple solid-state NMR experiments.

Detection of remote proton-nitrogen correlations by 1H-detected 14N overtone solid-state NMR at fast MAS

Detecting proton and nitrogen correlations in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is important for the structural determination of biological and chemical systems. Recent advances in proton detection-based approaches under fast magic-angle spinning have facilitated the detection of ¹H-¹⁴N correlations by solid-state NMR. However, observing remote ¹H-¹⁴N correlations by these approaches is still a challenge, especially for ¹⁴N sites having large quadrupolar couplings. To address this issue, we introduce the ¹H-¹⁴N overtone continuous wave rotational-echo saturation-pulse double-resonance (¹H-¹⁴N OT CW-RESPDOR) sequence. Unlike regular 2D correlation experiments where the indirect dimension is recorded in the time domain, the ¹H-¹⁴N OT CW-RESPDOR experiment is directly observed in the frequency domain. A set of ¹H-¹⁴N OT CW-RESPDOR filtered ¹H spectra is recorded at varying ¹⁴N OT frequencies. Thanks to the selective nature of the ¹⁴N OT pulse, the filtered ¹H spectra appear only if the ¹⁴N OT frequency hits the positions of the ¹⁴N OT central band or one of the spinning sidebands. This set of filtered ¹H spectra represents a 2D ¹H-¹⁴N OT correlation map. We have also investigated the optimizable parameters for CW-RESPDOR and figured out that these parameters are not strictly needed for our working magnetic field of 14.1 T. Hence, the experiment is easy to set up and requires almost no optimization. We have demonstrated the experimental feasibility of ¹H-¹⁴N OT CW-RESPDOR on monoclinic L-histidine and L-alanyl L-alanine. The remote ¹H-¹⁴N correlations have been efficiently detected, no matter how large the ¹⁴N quadrupolar interaction is, and agree with the crystal structures. In addition, based on the remote ¹H-¹⁴N correlations from the non-protonated ¹⁴N site of L-histidine, we can unambiguously distinguish the orthorhombic and monoclinic forms.

14N, 13C, and 119Sn solid-state NMR characterization of tin(II) carbodiimide Sn(NCN)

We report the first magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study on Sn(NCN). In this compound the spatially elongated (NCN)2− ion is assumed to develop two distinct forms: either cyanamide (N≡C–N2−) or carbodiimide (−N=C=N−). Our 14N MAS NMR results reveal that in Sn(NCN) the (NCN)2− groups exist exclusively in the form of symmetric carbodiimide ions with two equivalent nitrogen sites, which is in agreement with the X-ray diffraction data. The 14N quadrupolar coupling constant | C Q | $\vert {C}_{\text{Q}}\vert $  ≈ 1.1 MHz for the −N=C=N− ion in Sn(NCN) is low when compared to those observed in molecular compounds that comprise cyano-type N≡C– moieties ( | C Q | $\vert {C}_{\text{Q}}\vert $  > 3.5 MHz). This together with the information from 14N and 13C chemical shifts indicates that solid-state NMR is a powerful tool for providing atomic-level insights into anion species present in these compounds. The experimental NMR results are corroborated by high-level calculations with quantum chemistry methods.

Through-space 11 B-27 Al correlation: Influence of the recoupling channel

Through-space heteronuclear correlation (D-HETCOR) experiments based on heteronuclear multiple-quantum correlation (D-HMQC) and refocused insensitive nuclei enhanced by polarization transfer (D-RINEPT) sequences have been proven to be useful approaches for the detection of the spatial proximity between half-integer quadrupolar nuclei in solids under magic-angle spinning (MAS) conditions. The corresponding pulse sequences employ coherence transfers mediated by heteronuclear dipolar interactions, which are reintroduced under MAS by radiofrequency irradiation of only one of the two correlated nuclei. We investigate herein using numerical simulations of spin dynamics and solid-state NMR experiments on magnesium aluminoborate glass how the choice of the channel to which the heteronuclear dipolar recoupling is applied affects the transfer efficiency of D-HMQC and D-RINEPT sequences between ¹¹ B and ²⁷ Al nuclei. Experimental results show that maximum transfer efficiency is achieved when the recoupling scheme is applied to the channel, for which the spin magnetization is parallel to the B₀ axis in average.

On the use of radio-frequency offsets for improving double-quantum homonuclear dipolar recoupling of half-integer-spin quadrupolar nuclei

Detecting proximities between nuclei is crucial for atomic-scale structure determination with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Different from spin-1/2 nuclei, the methodology for quadrupolar nuclei is limited for solids due to the complex spin dynamics under simultaneous magic-angle spinning (MAS) and radio-frequency irradiation. Herein, the performances of several homonuclear rotary recoupling (HORROR)-based homonuclear dipolar recoupling sequences are evaluated for ²⁷ Al (spin-5/2). It is shown numerically and experimentally on mesoporous alumina that BR 2 2 1 outperforms the supercycled S₃ sequence and its pure double-quantum (DQ) (bracketed) version, [S₃ ], both in terms of DQ transfer efficiency and bandwidth. This result is surprising since the S₃ sequence is among the best low-power recoupling schemes for spin-1/2. The superiority of BR 2 2 1 is thoroughly explained, and the crucial role of radio-frequency offsets during its spin dynamics is highlighted. The analytical approximation of BR 2 2 1 , derived in an offset-toggling frame, clarifies the interplay between offset and DQ efficiency, namely, the benefits of off-resonance irradiation and the trough in DQ efficiency for BR 2 2 1 when the irradiation is central between two resonances, both for spin-1/2 and half-integer-spin quadrupolar nuclei. Additionally, density matrix propagations show that the BR 2 2 1 sequence, applied to quadrupolar nuclei subject to quadrupolar interaction much larger than radio-frequency frequency field, can create single- and multiple-quantum coherences for near on-resonance irradiation. This significantly perturbs the creation of DQ coherences between central transitions of neighboring quadrupolar nuclei. This effect explains the DQ efficiency trough for near on-resonance irradiation, in the case of both cross-correlation and autocorrelation peaks. Overall, this work aids experimental acquisition of homonuclear dipolar correlation spectra of half-integer-spin quadrupolar nuclei and provides theoretical insights towards improving recoupling schemes at high magnetic field and fast MAS.

Selective 1H-14N Distance Measurements by 14N Overtone Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy at Fast MAS

Accurate distance measurements between proton and nitrogen can provide detailed information on the structures and dynamics of various molecules. The combination of broadband phase-modulated (PM) pulse and rotational-echo saturation-pulse double-resonance (RESPDOR) sequence at fast magic-angle spinning (MAS) has enabled the measurement of multiple 1H-14N distances with high accuracy. However, complications may arise when applying this sequence to systems with multiple inequivalent 14N nuclei, especially a single 1H sitting close to multiple 14N atoms. Due to its broadband characteristics, the PM pulse saturates all 14N atoms; hence, the single 1H simultaneously experiences the RESPDOR effect from multiple 1H-14N couplings. Consequently, no reliable H-N distances are obtained. To overcome the problem, selective 14N saturation is desired, but it is difficult because 14N is an integer quadrupolar nucleus. Alternatively, 14N overtone (OT) NMR spectroscopy can be employed owing to its narrow bandwidth for selectivity. Moreover, owing to the sole presence of two energy levels (m = ± 1), the 14N OT spin dynamics behaves similarly to that of spin-1/2. This allows the interchangeability between RESPDOR and rotational-echo double-resonance (REDOR) since their principles are the same except the degree of 14N OT population transfer; saturation for the former whereas inversion for the latter. As the ideal saturation/inversion is impractical due to the slow and orientation-dependent effective nutation of 14N OT, the working condition is usually an intermediate between REDOR and RESPDOR. The degree of 14N OT population transfer can be determined from the results of protons with short distances to 14N and then can be used to obtain long-distance determination of other protons to the same 14N site. Herein, we combine the 14N OT and REDOR/RESPDOR to explore the feasibility of selective 1H-14N distance measurements. Experimental demonstrations on simple biological compounds of L-tyrosine.HCl, N-acetyl-L-alanine, and L-alanyl-L-alanine were performed at 14.1 T and MAS frequency of 62.5 kHz. The former two consist of a single 14N site, whereas the latter consists of two 14N sites. The experimental optimizations and reliable fittings by the universal curves are described. The extracted 1H-14N distances by OT-REDOR are in good agreement with those determined by PM-RESPDOR and diffraction techniques.

Analysis of HMQC experiments applied to a spin ½ nucleus subject to very large CSA

The acquisition of solid-state NMR spectra of "heavy" spin I = 1/2 nuclei, such as ¹¹⁹Sn, ¹⁹⁵Pt, ¹⁹⁹Hg or ²⁰⁷Pb can often prove challenging due to the presence of large chemical shift anisotropy (CSA), which can cause significant broadening of spectral lines. However, previous publications have shown that well-resolved spectra can be obtained via inverse ¹H detection using HMQC experiments in combination with fast magic angle spinning. In this work, the efficiencies of different ¹⁹⁵Pt excitation schemes are analyzed using SIMPSON numerical simulations and experiments performed on cis- and transplatin samples. These schemes include: hard pulses (HP), selective long pulses (SLP) and rotor-synchronized DANTE trains of pulses. The results show that for spectra of species with very large CSA, HP is little efficient, but that both DANTE and SLP provide efficient excitation profiles over a wide range of CSA values. In particular, it is revealed that the SLP scheme is highly robust to offset, pulse amplitude and length, and is simple to set up. These factors make SLP ideally suited to widespread use by "non-experts" for carrying out analyses of materials containing "heavy" spin I = 1/2 nuclei that are subject to very large CSAs. Finally, the existence of an "intermediate" excitation regime, with an rf-field strength in between those of HP and SLP, which is effective for large CSA, is demonstrated. It must be noted that in some samples, multiple sites may exist with very different CSAs. This is the case for ¹⁹⁵Pt species with either square-planar or octahedral structures, with large or small CSA, respectively. These two types of CSAs can only be excited simultaneously with DANTE trains, which scale up the effective rf-field. Another way to obtain all the information is to perform two different experiments: one with SLP and the second with HP to excite the sites with moderate/large and small/moderate CSAs, respectively. These two complementary experiments, recorded with two different spinning speeds, can also be used to discriminate the center-band resonances from the spinning sidebands.

Evaluation of excitation schemes for indirect detection of 14N via solid-state HMQC NMR experiments

It has previously been shown that ¹⁴N NMR spectra can be reliably obtained through indirect detection via HMQC experiments. This method exploits the transfer of coherence between single-(SQ) or double-quantum (DQ) ¹⁴N coherences, and SQ coherences of a suitable spin-1/2 'spy' nucleus, e.g., ¹H. It must be noted that SQ-SQ methods require a carefully optimized setup to minimize the broadening related to the first-order quadrupole interaction (i.e., an extremely well-adjusted magic angle and a highly stable spinning speed), whereas DQ-SQ ones do not. In this work, the efficiencies of four ¹⁴N excitation schemes (DANTE, XiX, Hard Pulse (HP), and Selective Long Pulse (SLP)) are compared using J-HMQC based numerical simulations and either SQ-SQ or DQ-SQ ¹H-{¹⁴N} D-HMQC experiments on l-histidine HCl and N-acetyl-l-valine at 18.8 T and 62.5 kHz MAS. The results demonstrate that both DANTE and SLP provide a more efficient ¹⁴N excitation profile than XiX and HP. Furthermore, it is shown that the SLP scheme: (i) is efficient over a large range of quadrupole interaction, (ii) is highly robust to offset and rf-pulse length and amplitude, and (iii) is very simple to set up. These factors make SLP ideally suited to widespread, non-specialist use in solid-state NMR analyses of nitrogen-containing materials.

Quantitative analysis of 14N quadrupolar coupling using 1H detected 14N solid-state NMR

Magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR is increasingly utilized to study the naturally abundant, spin-1 nucleus 14N, providing insights into the structure and dynamics of biological and organic molecules. In particular, the characterisation of 14N sites using indirect detection has proven useful for complex molecules, where the 'spy' nucleus provides enhanced sensitivity and resolution. Here we exploit the sensitivity of proton detection, to indirectly characterise 14N sites using a moderate rf field to generate coherence between the 1H and 14N at moderate and fast-magic-angle spinning frequencies. Efficient numerical simulations have been developed that have allowed us to quantitatively analyse the resulting 14N lineshapes to determine both the size and asymmetry of the quadrupolar interaction. Exploiting only naturally occurring abundant isotopes will aid the analysis of materials with the need to resort to isotope labelling, whilst providing additional insights into the structure and dynamics that the characterisation of the quadrupolar interaction affords.

Indirect detection of broad spectra in solid-state NMR using interleaved DANTE trains

We analyze the performances and the optimization of ¹H-{I} HMQC experiments using basic and interleaved DANTE schemes for the indirect detection of nuclei I = 1/2 or 1 exhibiting wide lines dominated by chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) or quadrupole interaction, respectively. These sequences are first described using average Hamiltonian theory. Then, we analyze using numerical simulations (i) the optimal lengths of the DANTE train and the individual pulses, (ii) the robustness of these experiments to offset, and (iii) the optimal choice of the defocusing and refocusing times for both ¹H-{I} J- and D-HMQC sequences for ¹⁹⁵Pt (I = 1/2) and ¹⁴N (I = 1) nuclei subject to large CSA and quadrupole interaction, respectively. These simulations are compared to ¹H-{¹⁴N} D-HMQC experiments on γ-glycine and L-histidine.HCl at B₀ = 18.8 T and MAS frequency of 62.5 kHz. The present study shows that (i) the optimal defocusing and refocusing times do not depend on the chosen DANTE scheme, (ii) the DANTE trains must be applied with the highest rf-field compatible with the probe specifications and the stability of the sample, (iii) the excitation bandwidth along the indirect dimension of HMQC sequence using DANTE trains is inversely proportional to their length, (iv) interleaved DANTE trains increase the excitation bandwidth of these sequences, and (v) dephasing under residual ¹H-¹H and ¹H-I dipolar couplings, as well as ¹⁴N second-order quadrupole interaction, during the length of the DANTE scheme attenuate the transfer efficiency.

Analysis of large-anisotropy-spin recoupling pulses for distance measurement under magic-angle spinning NMR shows the superiority and robustness of a phase modulated saturation pulse

The distance between a spin one-half and an attached spin possessing a large anisotropy can be obtained using different dipolar recoupling sequences that are based on the rotational-echo double resonance technique under magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR. The general difference between these sequences with respect to the coupled spin is the set of pulses applied in order to drive this spin out of equilibrium, thereby recoupling the dipolar interaction. Since complete inversion is practically not possible due to the coupled-spin anisotropy, using one or another pulse depends on the experimental and spin conditions: the spinning speed, the strength of the radio frequency field, the size of the anisotropic interaction (quadrupolar or chemical shiftanisotropy couplings), the offset, and the accuracy of setting the magic angle. Here we present a detailed description of the behavior of the anisotropic spin magnetization, including the macroscopic level transition probabilities, the degree of inversion, and the microscopic and macroscopic magnetizations during the applications of these pulses under different experimental conditions. As simulations show, a complete randomization of spin populations under a wide range of experimental conditions occurs under a specific phase modulation of the recoupling pulse while for all other cases dependence on experimental conditions is large and the achievable bandwidth is limited. A result of this detailed analysis is that the extension of the phase modulated pulse extends even further its robustness. The saturation capability is demonstrated experimentally for the quadrupolar spin of boron-11 in 4-methoxyphenylboronic acid.

Double cross polarization for the indirect detection of nitrogen-14 nuclei in magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy

Nitrogen-14 NMR spectra at fast magic-angle spinning rates can be acquired indirectly by means of two-dimensional techniques based on double cross polarization transfer ¹H → ¹⁴N →¹H. Experimental evidence is given for polycrystalline samples of glycine, l-histidine, and the dipeptide Ala-Gly. Either one-bond or long-range correlations can be favored by choosing the length of the cross polarization contact pulses. Longer contact pulses allow the detection of unprotonated nitrogen sites. In contrast to earlier methods that exploited second-order quadrupolar/dipolar cross-terms, cross polarization operates in the manner of the method of Hartmann and Hahn, even for ¹⁴N quadrupolar couplings up to 4 MHz. Simulations explain why amorphous samples tend to give rise to featureless spectra because the ¹⁴N quadrupolar interactions may vary dramatically with the lattice environment. The experiments are straightforward to set up and are shown to be effective for different nitrogen environments and robust with respect to the rf-field strengths and to the ¹⁴N carrier frequency during cross polarization. The efficiency of indirect detection of ¹⁴N nuclei by double cross polarization is shown to be similar to that of isotopically enriched ¹³C nuclei.

Exciting Wide NMR Spectra of Static Solid Samples with Weak Radiofrequency Fields

Trains of short pulses in the manner of ‘delays alternating with nutations for tailored excitation’ (DANTE) have been applied to the Pake patterns of protons of water molecules trapped in a static powdered sample of barium chlorate monohydrate. The spin dynamics in the course of such experiments have been investigated by means of numerical simulations and compared with the ideal refocusing that can be achieved under magic-angle spinning (MAS). Solid echoes yield essentially undistorted lineshapes, in contrast to direct excitation without refocusing that leads to severe dispersions of the phases because of inhomogeneous interactions such as homonuclear dipolar couplings and anisotropic chemical shifts. The selectivity of DANTE sequences allows one to access ‘slices’ of the Pake pattern that can be related to particular crystallite orientations. Single-crystal spectra can therefore be extracted from powder spectra. A similar behavior is expected for both dipolar and quadrupolar echoes.

Solid-state NMR indirect detection of nuclei experiencing large anisotropic interactions using spinning sideband-selective pulses

Under Magic-Angle Spinning (MAS), a long radio-frequency (rf) pulse applied on resonance achieves the selective excitation of the center-band of a wide NMR spectrum. We show herein that these rf pulses can be applied on the indirect channel of Hetero-nuclear Multiple-Quantum Correlation (HMQC) sequences, which facilitate the indirect detection via spin-1/2 isotopes of nuclei exhibiting wide spectra. Numerical simulations show that this indirect excitation method is applicable to spin-1/2 nuclei experiencing a large chemical shift anisotropy, as well as to spin-1 isotopes subject to a large quadrupole interaction, such as (14)N. The performances of the long pulses are analyzed by the numerical simulations of scalar-mediated HMQC (J-HMQC) experiments indirectly detecting spin-1/2 or spin-1 nuclei, as well as by dipolar-mediated HMQC (D-HMQC) experiments achieving indirect detection of (14)N nuclei via (1)H in crystalline γ-glycine and N-acetyl-valine samples at a MAS frequency of 60kHz. We show on these solids that for the acquisition of D-HMQC spectra between (1)H and (14)N nuclei, the efficiency of selective moderate excitation with long-pulses at the (14)N Larmor frequency, ν0((14)N), is comparable to those with strong excitation pulses at ν0((14)N) or 2ν0((14)N) frequencies, given the rf field delivered by common solid-state NMR probes. Furthermore, the D-HMQC experiments also demonstrate that the use of long pulses does not produce significant spectral distortions along the (14)N dimension. In summary, the use of center-band selective weak pulses is advantageous for HMQC experiments achieving the indirect detection of wide spectra since it (i) requires a moderate rf field, (ii) can be easily optimized, (iii) displays a high robustness to CSAs, offsets, rf-field inhomogeneities, and fluctuations in MAS frequency, and (iv) is little dependent on the quadrupolar coupling constant.

Comparison of various NMR methods for the indirect detection of nitrogen-14 nuclei via protons in solids

We present an experimental comparison of several through-space Hetero-nuclear Multiple-Quantum Correlation experiments, which allow the indirect observation of homo-nuclear single- (SQ) or double-quantum (DQ) (14)N coherences via spy (1)H nuclei. These (1)H-{(14)N} D-HMQC sequences differ not only by the order of (14)N coherences evolving during the indirect evolution, t1, but also by the radio-frequency (rf) scheme used to excite and reconvert these coherences under Magic-Angle Spinning (MAS). Here, the SQ coherences are created by the application of center-band frequency-selective pulses, i.e. long and low-power rectangular pulses at the (14)N Larmor frequency, ν0((14)N), whereas the DQ coherences are excited and reconverted using rf irradiation either at ν0((14)N) or at the (14)N overtone frequency, 2ν0((14)N). The overtone excitation is achieved either by constant frequency rectangular pulses or by frequency-swept pulses, specifically Wide-band, Uniform-Rate, and Smooth-Truncation (WURST) pulse shapes. The present article compares the performances of four different (1)H-{(14)N} D-HMQC sequences, including those with (14)N rectangular pulses at ν0((14)N) for the indirect detection of homo-nuclear (i) (14)N SQ or (ii) DQ coherences, as well as their overtone variants using (iii) rectangular or (iv) WURST pulses. The compared properties include: (i) the sensitivity, (ii) the spectral resolution in the (14)N dimension, (iii) the rf requirements (power and pulse length), as well as the robustness to (iv) rf offset and (v) MAS frequency instabilities. Such experimental comparisons are carried out for γ-glycine and l-histidine.HCl monohydrate, which contain (14)N sites subject to moderate quadrupole interactions. We demonstrate that the optimum choice of the (1)H-{(14)N} D-HMQC method depends on the experimental goal. When the sensitivity and/or the robustness to offset are the major concerns, the D-HMQC sequence allowing the indirect detection of (14)N SQ coherences should be employed. Conversely, when the highest resolution and/or adjusted indirect spectral width are needed, overtone experiments are the method of choice. The overtone scheme using WURST pulses results in broader excitation bandwidths than that using rectangular pulses, at the expense of reduced sensitivity. Numerically exact simulations also show that the sensitivity of the overtone (1)H-{(14)N} D-HMQC experiment increases for larger quadrupole interactions.

Broadband solid-state MAS NMR of paramagnetic systems

The combination of new magnet and probe technology with increasingly sophisticated pulse sequences has resulted in an increase in the number of applications of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to paramagnetic materials and biomolecules. The interaction between the paramagnetic metal ions and the NMR-active nuclei often yields crucial structural or electronic information about the system. In particular the application of magic-angle spinning (MAS) has been shown to be crucial to obtaining resolution that is sufficiently high for studying complex systems. However such systems are generally extremely difficult to study as the shifts and shift anisotropies resulting from the same paramagnetic interaction broaden the spectrum beyond excitation and detection, and the paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) shortens the lifetimes of the excited signals considerably. One specific area that has therefore been receiving significant attention in recent years, and for which great improvements have been seen, is the development of broadband NMR sequences. The development of new excitation and inversion sequences for paramagnetic systems under MAS has often made the difference between the spectrum being unobtainable, and a complete NMR study being possible. However the development of the new sequences must explicitly take account of the modulation of the anisotropic shift interactions due to the sample rotation, with the resulting spin dynamics often being complicated considerably. The NMR sequences can either be helped or hindered by MAS, with the efficiency of some pulse schemes being destroyed, and others being greatly enhanced. This review describes the pulse sequences that have recently been proposed for broadband excitation, inversion, and refocussing of the signal components of paramagnetic systems. In doing so we define exactly what is meant by "broadband" under spinning conditions, and what the perfect pulse scheme should deliver. We also give a unified description of the spin dynamics under MAS which highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the various schemes, and which can be used as guidance for future research in this area. All the reviewed pulse schemes are evaluated both with simulations and experimental data obtained on the battery material LiFe(0.5)Mn(0.5)PO(4) which is typical of the complexity of the paramagnetic systems that are currently under study.

Improving the resolution in proton-detected through-space heteronuclear multiple quantum correlation NMR spectroscopy

Connectivities and proximities between protons and low-gamma nuclei can be probed in solid-state NMR spectroscopy using two-dimensional (2D) proton-detected heteronuclear correlation, through Heteronuclear Multiple Quantum Correlation (HMQC) pulse sequence. The indirect detection via protons dramatically enhances the sensitivity. However, the spectra are often broadened along the indirect F1 dimension by the decay of heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherences under the strong (1)H-(1)H dipolar couplings. This work presents a systematic comparison of the performances of various decoupling schemes during the indirect t1 evolution period of dipolar-mediated HMQC (D-HMQC) experiment. We demonstrate that (1)H-(1)H dipolar decoupling sequences during t1, such as symmetry-based schemes, phase-modulated Lee-Goldburg (PMLG) and Decoupling Using Mind-Boggling Optimization (DUMBO), provide better resolution than continuous wave (1)H irradiation. We also report that high resolution requires the preservation of (1)H isotropic chemical shifts during the decoupling sequences. When observing indirectly broad spectra presenting numerous spinning sidebands, the D-HMQC sequence must be fully rotor-synchronized owing to the rotor-synchronized indirect sampling and dipolar recoupling sequence employed. In this case, we propose a solution to reduce artefact sidebands caused by the modulation of window delays before and after the decoupling application during the t1 period. Moreover, we show that (1)H-(1)H dipolar decoupling sequence using Smooth Amplitude Modulation (SAM) minimizes the t1-noise. The performances of the various decoupling schemes are assessed via numerical simulations and compared to 2D (1)H-{(13)C} D-HMQC experiments on [U-(13)C]-L-histidine⋅HCl⋅H2O at various magnetic fields and Magic Angle spinning (MAS) frequencies. Great resolution and sensitivity enhancements resulting from decoupling during t1 period enable the detection of heteronuclear correlation between aliphatic protons and ammonium (14)N sites in L-histidine⋅HCl⋅H2O.

Broadband excitation in solid-state NMR using interleaved DANTE pulse trains with N pulses per rotor period

We analyze the direct excitation of wide one-dimensional spectra of nuclei with spin I=1/2 or 1 in rotating solids submitted to pulse trains in the manner of Delays Alternating with Nutations for Tailored Excitation (DANTE), either with one short rotor-synchronized pulse of duration τp in each of K rotor periods (D1(K)) or with N interleaved equally spaced pulses τp in each rotor period, globally also extending over K rotor periods (D(N)(K)). The excitation profile of D(N)(K) scheme is a comb of rf-spikelets with Nν(R)=N/T(R) spacing from the carrier frequency, and a width of each spikelet inversely proportional to the length, KT(R), of D(N)(K) scheme. Since the individual pulse lengths, τp, are typically of a few hundreds of ns, D(N)(K) scheme can readily excite spinning sidebands families covering several MHz, provided the rf carrier frequency is close enough to the resonance frequency of one the spinning sidebands. If the difference of isotropic chemical shifts between distinct chemical sites is less than about 1.35/(KT(R)), D(N)(K) scheme can excite the spinning sidebands families of several sites. For nuclei with I=1/2, if the homogeneous and inhomogeneous decays of coherences during the DANTE sequence are neglected, the K pulses of a D1(K) train have a linearly cumulative effect, so that the total nutation angle is θ(tot)=K2πν1τp, where ν1 is the rf-field amplitude. This allows obtaining nearly ideal 90° pulses for excitation or 180° rotations for inversion and refocusing across wide MAS spectra comprising many spinning sidebands. If one uses interleaved DANTE trains D(N)(K) with N>1, only spinning sidebands separated by intervals of Nν(R) with respect to the carrier frequency are observed as if the effective spinning speed was Nν(R). The other sidebands have vanishing intensities because of the cancellation of the N contributions with opposite signs. However, the intensities of the remaining sidebands obey the same rules as in spectra obtained with νR. With increasing N, the intensities of the non-vanishing sidebands increase, but the total intensity integrated over all sidebands decreases. Furthermore, the NK pulses in a D(N)(K) train do not have a simple cumulative effect and the optimal cumulated flip angle for optimal excitation, θ(tot)(opt)=NK2πν1τp, exceeds 90°. Such D(N)(K) pulse trains allow achieving efficient broadband excitation, but they are not recommended for broadband inversion or refocusing as they cannot provide proper 180° rotations. Since D(N)(K) pulse trains with N>1 are shorter than basic D1(K) sequences, they are useful for broadband excitation in samples with rapid homogeneous or inhomogeneous decay. For nuclei with I=1 (e.g., for (14)N), the response to basic D1(K) pulse train is moreover affected by inhomogeneous decay due to 2nd-order quadrupole interactions, since these are not of rank 2 and therefore cannot be eliminated by spinning about the magic angle. For large quadrupole interactions, the signal decay produced by second-order quadrupole interaction can be minimized by (i) reducing the length of D(N)(K) pulse trains using N>1, (ii) fast spinning, (iii) large rf-field, and (iv) using high magnetic fields to reduce the 2nd-order quadrupole interaction.

Proton-nitrogen-14 overtone two-dimensional correlation NMR spectroscopy of solid-sample at very fast magic angle sample spinning

(1)H-(14)N overtone (OT) heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC) experiment at very fast magic angle spinning (MAS) is reported. The (14)N OT coherence is excited and reconverted by (14)N OT pulses at twice the (14)N Larmor frequency. The OT coherence is free from the first order quadrupolar broadening. MAS further removes the broadening due to chemical shift anisotropy (CSA). With a small 0.75 mm MAS rotor and coil system, very fast MAS up to 90 kHz and very strong rf field are achieved, enhancing the sensitivity of indirect (14)N OT observation via protons. In comparison with (1)H-(14)N double-quantum HMQC, an enhancement factor of 1.8 is obtained for glycine with the (14)N OT irradiation. The bandwidth in the (14)N OT dimension is limited due to long (14)N OT pulses.

An efficient NMR method for the characterisation of 14N sites through indirect 13C detection

Nitrogen is one of the most abundant elements and plays a key role in the chemistry of biological systems. Despite its widespread distribution, the study of the naturally occurring isotope of nitrogen, (14)N (99.6%), has been relatively limited as it is a spin-1 nucleus that typically exhibits a large quadrupolar interaction. Accordingly, most studies of nitrogen sites in biomolecules have been performed on samples enriched with (15)N, limiting the application of NMR to samples which can be isotopically enriched. This precludes the analysis of naturally occurring samples and results in the loss of the wealth of structural and dynamic information that the quadrupolar interaction can provide. Recently, several experimental approaches have been developed to characterize (14)N sites through their interaction with neighboring 'spy' nuclei. Here we describe a novel version of these experiments whereby coherence between the (14)N site and the spy nucleus is mediated by the application of a moderate rf field to the (14)N. The resulting (13)C/(14)N spectra show good sensitivity on natural abundance and labeled materials; whilst the (14)N lineshapes permit the quantitative analysis of the quadrupolar interaction.

Probing proximities between different quadrupolar isotopes using multi-pulse cross-polarization

We present a novel cross-polarization MAS NMR pulse sequence to probe proximities between half-integer quadrupolar isotopes. This sequence employs a multi-pulse cross-polarization (MP-CP) transfer, instead of the previous continuous-wave CP (CW-CP) transfer. With respect to CW-CP transfers, our sequence is more robust with respect to offsets and Rotary Resonance Recoupling detrimental effects, especially when taking into account rf-inhomogeneity. Moreover, by using a frequency splitter and a single channel MAS probe, this MP-CP sequence may allow analyzing the through-space connectivities between two isotopes with half-integer spin values and close Larmor frequencies.