Assignment of solid-state 13C and 1H NMR spectra of paramagnetic Ni(II) acetylacetonate complexes aided by first-principles computations

Computational NMR of the iron pyrazolylborate complexes [Tp2Fe]+ and Tp2Fe including solvation and spin-crossover effects

Transition metal complexes have important roles in many biological processes as well as applications in fields such as pharmacy, chemistry and materials science. Paramagnetic nuclear magnetic resonance (pNMR) is a valuable tool in understanding such molecules, and theoretical computations are often advantageous or even necessary in the assignment of experimental pNMR signals. We have employed density functional theory (DFT) and the domain-based local pair natural orbital coupled-cluster method with single and double excitations (DLPNO-CCSD), as well as a number of model improvements, to determine the critical hyperfine part of the chemical shifts of the iron pyrazolylborate complexes [Tp₂Fe]⁺ and Tp₂Fe using a modern version of the Kurland-McGarvey theory, which is based on parameterising the hyperfine, electronic Zeeman and zero-field splitting interactions via the parameters of the electron paramagnetic resonance Hamiltonian. In the doublet [Tp₂Fe]⁺ system, the calculations suggest a re-assignment of the ¹³C signal shifts. Consideration of solvent via the conductor-like polarisable continuum model (C-PCM) versus explicit solvent molecules reveals C-PCM alone to be insufficient in capturing the most important solvation effects. Tp₂Fe exhibits a spin-crossover effect between a high-spin quintet (S = 2) and a low-spin singlet (S = 0) state, and its recorded temperature dependence can only be reproduced theoretically by accounting for the thermal Boltzmann distribution of the open-shell excited state and the closed-shell ground-state occupations. In these two cases, DLPNO-CCSD is found, in calculating the hyperfine couplings, to be a viable alternative to DFT, the demonstrated shortcomings of which have been a significant issue in the development of computational pNMR.

Electron correlation and vibrational effects in predictions of paramagnetic NMR shifts

Electronic structure calculations are fundamentally important for the interpretation of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra from paramagnetic systems that include organometallic and inorganic compounds, catalysts, or metal-binding sites in proteins. Prediction of induced paramagnetic NMR shifts requires knowledge of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) parameters: the electronic g tensor, zero-field splitting D tensor, and hyperfine A tensor. The isotropic part of A, called the hyperfine coupling constant (HFCC), is one of the most troublesome properties for quantum chemistry calculations. Yet, even relatively small errors in calculations of HFCC tend to propagate into large errors in the predicted NMR shifts. The poor quality of A tensors that are currently calculated using density functional theory (DFT) constitutes a bottleneck in improving the reliability of interpretation of the NMR spectra from paramagnetic systems. In this work, electron correlation effects in calculations of HFCCs with a hierarchy of ab initio methods were assessed, and the applicability of different levels of DFT approximations and the coupled cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) method was tested. These assessments were performed for the set of selected test systems comprising an organic radical, and complexes with transition metal and rare-earth ions, for which experimental data are available. Severe deficiencies of DFT were revealed but the CCSD method was able to deliver good agreement with experimental data for all systems considered, however, at substantial computational costs. We proposed a more computationally tractable alternative, where the A was computed with the coupled cluster theory exploiting locality of electron correlation. This alternative is based on the domain-based local pair natural orbital coupled cluster singles and doubles (DLPNO-CCSD) method. In this way the robustness and reliability of the coupled cluster theory were incorporated into the modern formalism for the prediction of induced paramagnetic NMR shifts, and became applicable to systems of chemical interest. This approach was verified for the bis(cyclopentadienyl)vanadium(II) complex (Cp₂V; vanadocene), and the metal-binding site of the Zn²⁺ → Co²⁺ substituted superoxide dismutase (SOD) metalloprotein. Excellent agreement with experimental NMR shifts was achieved, which represented a substantial improvement over previous theoretical attempts. The effects of vibrational corrections to orbital shielding and hyperfine tensor were evaluated and discussed within the second-order vibrational perturbation theory (VPT2) framework.

A High Conductivity 1D π-d Conjugated Metal-Organic Framework with Efficient Polysulfide Trapping-Diffusion-Catalysis in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

The shuttling behavior and sluggish conversion kinetics of the intermediate lithium polysulfides (LiPS) represent the main obstructions to the practical application of lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). Herein, a 1D π-d conjugated metal-organic framework (MOF), Ni-MOF-1D, is presented as an efficient sulfur host to overcome these limitations. Experimental results and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that Ni-MOF-1D is characterized by a remarkable binding strength for trapping soluble LiPS species. Ni-MOF-1D also acts as an effective catalyst for S reduction during the discharge process and Li₂ S oxidation during the charging process. In addition, the delocalization of electrons in the π-d system of Ni-MOF-1D provides a superior electrical conductivity to improve electron transfer. Thus, cathodes based on Ni-MOF-1D enable LSBs with excellent performance, for example, impressive cycling stability with over 82% capacity retention over 1000 cycles at 3 C, superior rate performance of 575 mAh g^-1 at 8 C, and a high areal capacity of 6.63 mAh cm^-2 under raised sulfur loading of 6.7 mg cm^-2 . The strategies and advantages here demonstrated can be extended to a broader range of π-d conjugated MOFs materials, which the authors believe have a high potential as sulfur hosts in LSBs.

Crystal and Substituent Effects on Paramagnetic NMR Shifts in Transition-Metal Complexes

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of paramagnetic molecules provides detailed information about their molecular and electron-spin structure. The paramagnetic NMR spectrum is a very rich source of information about the hyperfine interaction between the atomic nuclei and the unpaired electron density. The Fermi-contact contribution to ligand hyperfine NMR shifts is particularly informative about the nature of the metal–ligand bonding and the structural arrangements of the ligands coordinated to the metal center. In this account, we provide a detailed experimental and theoretical NMR study of compounds of Cr(III) and Cu(II) coordinated with substituted acetylacetonate (acac) ligands in the solid state. For the first time, we report the experimental observation of extremely paramagnetically deshielded ¹³C NMR resonances for these compounds in the range of 900–1200 ppm. We demonstrate an excellent agreement between the experimental NMR shifts and those calculated using relativistic density-functional theory. Crystal packing is shown to significantly influence the NMR shifts in the solid state, as demonstrated by theoretical calculations of various supramolecular clusters. The resonances are assigned to individual atoms in octahedral Cr(acac)₃ and square-planar Cu(acac)₂ compounds and interpreted by different electron configurations and magnetizations at the central metal atoms resulting in different spin delocalizations and polarizations of the ligand atoms. Further, effects of substituents on the ¹³C NMR resonance of the ipso carbon atom reaching almost 700 ppm for Cr(acac)₃ compounds are interpreted based on the analysis of Fermi-contact hyperfine contributions.

The ligand NMR shifts in paramagnetic acetylacetonato Cr(III) and Cu(II) complexes have been predicted and measured in the solid state and interpreted by relativistic DFT calculations. The effects of the metal atom, ligand, and crystal packing on the spin delocalization and polarization reflected in the Fermi-contact contribution to the hyperfine interaction are rationalized.

Paramagnetic solid-state NMR assignment and novel chemical conversion of the aldehyde group to dihydrogen ortho ester and hemiacetal moieties in copper(ii)- and cobalt(ii)-pyridinecarboxaldehyde complexes

The complex chemical functionalization of aldehyde moieties in Cu(ii)- and Co(ii)-pyridinecarboxaldehyde complexes was studied. X-ray studies demonstrated that the aldehyde group (RCHO) of the four pyridine molecules is converted to dihydrogen ortho ester (RC(OCH₃)(OH)₂) and hemiacetal (RCH(OH)(OCH₃)) moieties in both 4-pyridinecarboxaldehyde copper and cobalt complexes. In contrast, the aldehyde group is retained when the 3-pyridinecarboxaldehyde ligand is complexed with cobalt. In the different copper complexes, similar paramagnetic ¹H resonance lines were obtained in the solid state; however, the connectivity with the carbon structure and the ¹H vicinities were done with 2D ¹H–¹³C HETCOR, ¹H–¹H SQ/DQ and proton spin diffusion (PSD) experiments. The strong paramagnetic effect exerted by the cobalt center prevented the observation of ¹³C NMR signals and chemical information could only be obtained from X-ray experiments. 2D PSD experiments in the solid state were useful for the proton assignments in both Cu(ii) complexes. The combination of X-ray crystallography experiments with DFT calculations together with the experimental results obtained from EPR and solid-state NMR allowed the assignment of NMR signals in pyridinecarboxaldehyde ligands coordinated with copper ions. In cases where the crystallographic information was not available, as in the case of the 3-pyridinecarboxaldehyde Cu(ii) complex, the combination of these techniques allowed not only the assignment of NMR signals but also the study of the functionalization of the substituent group.

The complex chemical functionalization of the aldehyde group was elucidated in copper and cobalt complexes for 4- and 3-pyridinecarboxaldehyde ligands.

Separated quadrupole and shift interactions of 2H NMR spectra in paramagnetic solids by asymmetric pulse sequences

Separated pure-quadrupole (PQ) and -shift (PS) spectra of ²H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of paramagnetic solids are obtained and correlated by simple pulse sequences that can acquire the full magnetization under ideal conditions. Two-dimensional NMR signals obtained using an asymmetric π-pulse-inserted quadrupole-echo (APIQE) sequence yielded separated spectra through the skew operation of an affine transform (AT) before a Fourier transform. Modified APIQE sequences that acquire whole echo signals were fabricated, and separated PQ and PS spectra were obtained by applying a combination of AT, such as rotation and skew operations, to the signal data. These methods were demonstrated for diamagnetic Zn(CD₃CO₂)₂⋅2H₂O and paramagnetic Nd(CD₃CO₂)₃⋅1.5H₂O. Further, the dynamics of the D₂O molecule and [Co(D₂O)₆]²⁺ ion in paramagnetic CoSiF₆⋅6D₂O was analyzed based on the temperature dependence of the separated spectra.

A Quantum Chemistry View on Two Archetypical Paramagnetic Pentacoordinate Nickel(II) Complexes Offers a Fresh Look on Their NMR Spectra

Quantum chemical methods for calculating paramagnetic NMR observables are becoming increasingly accessible and are being included in the inorganic chemistry practice. Here, we test the performance of these methods in the prediction of proton hyperfine shifts of two archetypical high-spin pentacoordinate nickel(II) complexes (NiSAL-MeDPT and NiSAL-HDPT), which, for a variety of reasons, turned out to be perfectly suited to challenge the predictions to the finest level of detail. For NiSAL-MeDPT, new NMR experiments yield an assignment that perfectly matches the calculations. The slightly different hyperfine shifts from the two “halves” of the molecules related by a pseudo-C₂ axis, which are experimentally divided into two well-defined spin systems, are also straightforwardly distinguished by the calculations. In the case of NiSAL-HDPT, for which no X-ray structure is available, the quality of the calculations allowed us to refine its structure using as a starting template the structure of NiSAL-MeDPT.

State-of-the-art quantum chemical methods and paramagnetism-tailored NMR experiments provide a deep insight on the relation between the spectra and the electronic structure for two paramagnetic pentacoordinate nickel(II) complexes.

Remarkable reversal of 13C-NMR assignment in d1, d2 compared to d8, d9 acetylacetonate complexes: analysis and explanation based on solid-state MAS NMR and computations

13C solid-state MAS NMR spectra of a series of paramagnetic metal acetylacetonate complexes; [VO(acac)2] (d1, S = ½), [V(acac)3] (d2, S = 1), [Ni(acac)2(H2O)2] (d8, S = 1), and [Cu(acac)2] (d9, S = ½), were assigned using modern NMR shielding calculations. This provided a reliable assignment of the chemical shifts and a qualitative insight into the hyperfine couplings. Our results show a reversal of the isotropic 13C shifts, δiso(13C), for CH3 and CO between the d1 and d2versus the d8 and d9 acetylacetonate complexes. The CH3 shifts change from about -150 ppm (d1,2) to roughly 1000 ppm (d8,9), whereas the CO shifts decrease from 800 ppm to about 150 ppm for d1,2 and d8,9, respectively. This was rationalized by comparison of total spin-density plots and computed contact couplings to those corresponding to singly occupied molecular orbitals (SOMOs). This revealed the interplay between spin delocalization of the SOMOs and spin polarization of the lower-energy MOs, influenced by both the molecular symmetry and the d-electron configuration. A large positive chemical shift results from spin delocalization and spin polarization acting in the same direction, whereas their cancellation corresponds to a small shift. The SOMO(s) for the d8 and d9 complexes are σ-like, implying spin-delocalization on the CH3 and CO groups of the acac ligand, cancelled only for CO by spin polarization. In contrast, the SOMOs of the d1 and d2 systems are π-like and a large CO-shift results from spin polarization, which accounts for the reversed assignment of δiso(13C) for CH3 and CO.

Order in disorder: solution and solid-state studies of [MM] wheels (MIII = Cr, Al; MII = Ni, Zn)

A family of heterometallic Anderson-type 'wheels' of general formula [MIII2MII5(hmp)12](ClO4)4 (where MIII = Cr or Al and MII = Ni or Zn giving [Cr2Ni5] (1), [Cr2Zn5] (2), [Al2Ni5] (3) and [Al2Zn5] (4); hmpH = 2-pyridinemethanol) have been synthesised solvothermally. The metallic skeleton common to all structures describes a centred hexagon with the MIII sites disordered around the outer wheel. The structural disorder has been characterised via single crystal X-ray crystallography, 1-3D 1H and 13C solution-state NMR spectroscopy of the diamagnetic analogue (4), and solid-state 27Al MAS NMR spectroscopy of compounds (3) and (4). Alongside ESI mass spectrometry, these techniques show that structure is retained in solution, and that the disorder is present in both the solution and solid-state. Solid-state dc susceptibility and magnetisation measurements on (2) and (3) reveal the Cr-Cr and Ni-Ni exchange interactions to be JCr-Cr = -1 cm-1 and JNi-Ni,r = -5 cm-1, JNi-Ni,c = 10 cm-1. Fixing these values allows us to extract JCr-Ni,r = -1.2 cm-1, JCr-Ni,c = 2.6 cm-1 for (1), the exchange between adjacent Ni and Cr ions on the ring is antiferromagnetic and between Cr ions on the ring and the central Ni ion is ferromagnetic.

Separation of 2H NMR spectra assisted by molecular dynamics in diamagnetic and paramagnetic solids

The relaxation-assisted separation method was applied to overlapping ²H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of diamagnetic and paramagnetic solids to separate them based on the different relaxation behaviors caused by molecular motion. Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill sequences for ²H NMR were adopted to build two-dimensional data sets from one-dimensional NMR experiments. For diamagnetic α-glycine, the ²H NMR spectrum collected at 198 K was separated into two components from static -CD₂- and dynamic -ND₃. In addition, for the paramagnetic Sm(NO₃)₃·6D2O, the asymmetric ²H NMR spectra obtained at 213 K due to the hyperfine coupling was also separated into two components, which corresponded to coordinated and crystal water molecules undergoing a 180° flip motion with different correlation times.

Paramagnetic NMR as a new tool in structural biology

NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) investigation through the exploitation of paramagnetic effects is passing from an approach limited to few specialists in the field to a generally applicable method that must be considered, especially for the characterization of systems hardly affordable with other techniques. This is mostly due to the fact that paramagnetic data are long range in nature, thus providing information for the structural and dynamic characterization of complex biomolecular architectures in their native environment. On the other hand, this information usually needs to be complemented by data from other sources. Integration of paramagnetic NMR with other techniques, and the development of protocols for a joint analysis of all available data, is fundamental for achieving a comprehensive characterization of complex biological systems. We describe here a few examples of the new possibilities offered by paramagnetic data used in integrated structural approaches.

The distribution of reactive Ni2+ in 2D Mg2−xNixAl-LDH nanohybrid materials determined by solid state 27Al MAS NMR spectroscopy

The distribution of Ni²⁺ in paramagnetic Mg_2−xNi_xAl layered double hydroxides obeys a binomial distribution according to ²⁷Al MAS NMR spectroscopy.