Direct observation of ¹⁷O-¹⁸⁵/¹⁸⁷Re ¹J-coupling in perrhenates by solid-state ¹⁷O VT MAS NMR: temperature and self-decoupling effects

Non-covalent matere bonds in perrhenates probed via ultrahigh field rhenium-185/187 NMR and zero-field NQR spectroscopy

Matere bonds (MaB) to rhenium in a set of organic perrhenates are probed via185/187Re solid-state NMR in applied magnetic fields of up to 35.2 T, and via185/187Re NQR. 185/187Re quadrupolar couplings distinguish between MaB samples and control samples, and their precise values are governed by shear strain of the ReO4- anions.

Ionic and Electronic Conduction in TiNb2O7

TiNb₂O₇ is a Wadsley-Roth phase with a crystallographic shear structure and is a promising candidate for high-rate lithium ion energy storage. The fundamental aspects of the lithium insertion mechanism and conduction in TiNb₂O₇, however, are not well-characterized. Herein, experimental and computational insights are combined to understand the inherent properties of bulk TiNb₂O₇. The results show an increase in electronic conductivity of seven orders of magnitude upon lithiation and indicate that electrons exhibit both localized and delocalized character, with a maximum Curie constant and Li NMR paramagnetic shift near a composition of Li_0.60TiNb₂O₇. Square-planar or distorted-five-coordinate lithium sites are calculated to invert between thermodynamic minima or transition states. Lithium diffusion in the single-redox region (i.e., x ≤ 3 in Li_xTiNb₂O₇) is rapid with low activation barriers from NMR and D_Li = 10^-11 m² s^-1 at the temperature of the observed T₁ minima of 525-650 K for x ≥ 0.75. DFT calculations predict that ionic diffusion, like electronic conduction, is anisotropic with activation barriers for lithium hopping of 100-200 meV down the tunnels but ca. 700-1000 meV across the blocks. Lithium mobility is hindered in the multiredox region (i.e., x > 3 in Li_xTiNb₂O₇), related to a transition from interstitial-mediated to vacancy-mediated diffusion. Overall, lithium insertion leads to effective n-type self-doping of TiNb₂O₇ and high-rate conduction, while ionic motion is eventually hindered at high lithiation. Transition-state searching with beyond Li chemistries (Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺) in TiNb₂O₇ reveals high diffusion barriers of 1-3 eV, indicating that this structure is specifically suited to Li⁺ mobility.

Recent advances in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of exotic nuclei

We present a review of recent advances in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) studies of exotic nuclei. Exotic nuclei may be spin-1/2 or quadrupolar, and typically have low gyromagnetic ratios, low natural abundances, large quadrupole moments (when I > 1/2), or some combination of these properties, generally resulting in low receptivities and/or prohibitively broad line widths. Some nuclides are little studied for other reasons, also rendering them somewhat exotic. We first discuss some of the recent progress in pulse sequences and hardware development which continues to enable researchers to study new kinds of materials as well as previously unfeasible nuclei. This is followed by a survey of applications to a wide range of exotic nuclei (including e.g., ⁹Be, ²⁵Mg, ³³S, ³⁹K, ⁴³Ca, ^47/49Ti, ⁵³Cr, ⁵⁹Co, ⁶¹Ni, ⁶⁷Zn, ⁷³Ge, ⁷⁵As, ⁸⁷Sr, ¹¹⁵In, ¹¹⁹Sn, ^121/123Sb, ^135/137Ba, ^185/187Re, ²⁰⁹Bi), most of them quadrupolar. The scope of the review is the past ten years, i.e., 2007-2017.

Spin-Spin Coupling between Quadrupolar Nuclei in Solids: (11)B-(75)As Spin Pairs in Lewis Acid-Base Adducts

Solid-state (11)B NMR measurements of Lewis acid-base adducts of the form R3AsBR'3 (R = Me, Et, Ph; R' = H, Ph, C6F5) were carried out at several magnetic field strengths (e.g., B0 = 21.14, 11.75, and 7.05 T). The (11)B NMR spectra of these adducts exhibit residual dipolar coupling under MAS conditions, allowing for the determination of effective dipolar coupling constants, Reff((75)As,(11)B), as well as the sign of the (75)As nuclear quadrupolar coupling constants. Values of Reff((75)As,(11)B) range from 500 to 700 Hz. Small isotropic J-couplings are resolved in some cases, and the sign of (1)J((75)As,(11)B) is determined. Values of CQ((75)As) measured at B0 = 21.14 T for these triarylborane Lewis acid-base adducts range from -82 ± 2 MHz for Et3AsB(C6F5)3 to -146 ± 1 MHz for Ph3AsBPh3. For Ph3AsBH3, two crystallographically nonequivalent sites are identified with CQ((75)As) values of -153 and -151 ± 1 MHz. For the uncoordinated Lewis base, Ph3As, four (75)As sites with CQ((75)As) values ranging from 193.5 to 194.4 ± 2 MHz are identified. At these applied magnetic field strengths, the (75)As quadrupolar interaction does not satisfy high-field approximation criteria, and thus, an exact treatment was used to describe this interaction in (11)B and (75)As NMR spectral simulations. NMR parameters calculated using the ADF and CASTEP program packages support the experimentally derived parameters in both magnitude and sign. These experiments add to the limited body of literature on solid-state (75)As NMR spectroscopy and serve as examples of spin-spin-coupled quadrupolar spin pairs, which are also rarely treated in the literature.

Direct Characterization of Metal-Metal Bonds between Nuclei with Strong Quadrupolar Interactions via NMR Spectroscopy

Metal-metal bonds can be difficult to characterize directly. We demonstrate that J couplings between metal nuclei experiencing strong quadrupolar interactions can be easily measured from well-defined splittings in NMR spectra of powdered samples. Using (69/71)Ga NMR, it is shown that homonuclear J coupling, which is four orders of magnitude smaller than the quadrupolar coupling in a series of compounds featuring gallium-gallium bonds, can be extracted with a 2-D NMR experiment. The dependence of the multiplets on crystal symmetry reveals information on the structures of two Ga-Ga-bonded compounds for which diffraction data are unavailable. Interpretation of the data in a molecular orbital framework provides insight into the nature of the metal-metal bond.

Theoretical study of homonuclear J coupling between quadrupolar spins: single-crystal, DOR, and J-resolved NMR

The theory describing homonuclear indirect nuclear spin-spin coupling (J) interactions between pairs of quadrupolar nuclei is outlined and supported by numerical calculations. The expected first-order multiplets for pairs of magnetically equivalent (A2), chemically equivalent (AA'), and non-equivalent (AX) quadrupolar nuclei are given. The various spectral changeovers from one first-order multiplet to another are investigated with numerical simulations using the SIMPSON program and the various thresholds defining each situation are given. The effects of chemical equivalence, as well as quadrupolar coupling, chemical shift differences, and dipolar coupling on double-rotation (DOR) and J-resolved NMR experiments for measuring homonuclear J coupling constants are investigated. The simulated J coupling multiplets under DOR conditions largely resemble the ideal multiplets predicted for single crystals, and a characteristic multiplet is expected for each of the A2, AA', and AX cases. The simulations demonstrate that it should be straightforward to distinguish between magnetic inequivalence and equivalence using J-resolved NMR, as was speculated previously. Additionally, it is shown that the second-order quadrupolar-dipolar cross-term does not affect the splittings in J-resolved experiments. Overall, the homonuclear J-resolved experiment for half-integer quadrupolar nuclei is demonstrated to be robust with respect to the effects of first- and second-order quadrupolar coupling, dipolar coupling, and chemical shift differences.

Magic-angle spinning solid-state multinuclear NMR on low-field instrumentation

Mobile and cost-effective NMR spectroscopy exploiting low-field permanent magnets is a field of tremendous development with obvious applications for arrayed large scale analysis, field work, and industrial screening. So far such demonstrations have concentrated on relaxation measurements and lately high-resolution liquid-state NMR applications. With high-resolution solid-state NMR spectroscopy being increasingly important in a broad variety of applications, we here introduce low-field magic-angle spinning (MAS) solid-state multinuclear NMR based on a commercial ACT 0.45 T 62 mm bore Halbach magnet along with a homebuilt FPGA digital NMR console, amplifiers, and a modified standard 45 mm wide MAS probe for 7 mm rotors. To illustrate the performance of the instrument and address cases where the low magnetic field may offer complementarity to high-field NMR experiments, we demonstrate applications for (23)Na MAS NMR with enhanced second-order quadrupolar coupling effects and (31)P MAS NMR where reduced influence from chemical shift anisotropy at low field may facilitate determination of heteronuclear dipole-dipole couplings.

Symmetry-amplified J splittings for quadrupolar spin pairs: a solid-state NMR probe of homoatomic covalent bonds

Chemically informative J couplings between pairs of quadrupolar nuclei in dimetallic and dimetalloid coordination motifs are measured using J-resolved solid-state NMR experiments. It is shown that the application of a double-quantum filter is necessary to observe the J splittings and that, under these conditions, only a simple doublet is expected. Interestingly, the splitting is amplified if the spins are magnetically equivalent, making it possible to measure highly precise J couplings and unambiguously probe the symmetry of the molecule. This is demonstrated experimentally by chemically breaking the symmetry about a pair of boron spins by reaction with an N-heterocyclic carbene to form a β-borylation reagent. The results show that the J coupling is a sensitive probe of bonding in diboron compounds and that the J values quantify the weakening of the B-B bond which occurs when forming an sp(2)-sp(3) diboron compound, which is relevant to their reactivity. Due to the prevalence of quadrupolar nuclei among transition metals, this work also provides a new approach to probe metal-metal bonding; results for Mn2(CO)10 are provided as an example.