An experimental and theoretical study of the 13C and 31P chemical shielding tensors in solid O-phosphorylated amino acids

High and fast: NMR protein-proton side-chain assignments at 160 kHz and 1.2 GHz

The NMR spectra of side-chain protons in proteins provide important information, not only about their structure and dynamics, but also about the mechanisms that regulate interactions between macromolecules. However, in the solid-state, these resonances are particularly difficult to resolve, even in relatively small proteins. We show that magic-angle-spinning (MAS) frequencies of 160 kHz, combined with a high magnetic field of 1200 MHz proton Larmor frequency, significantly improve their spectral resolution. We investigate in detail the gain for MAS frequencies between 110 and 160 kHz MAS for a model sample as well as for the hepatitis B viral capsid assembled from 120 core-protein (Cp) dimers. For both systems, we found a significantly improved spectral resolution of the side-chain region in the 1H-13C 2D spectra. The combination of 160 kHz MAS frequency with a magnetic field of 1200 MHz, allowed us to assign 61% of the aliphatic protons of Cp. The side-chain proton assignment opens up new possibilities for structural studies and further characterization of protein-protein or protein-nucleic acid interactions.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Metadynamics Simulations Reveal the Atomistic Binding of l-Serine and O-Phospho-l-Serine at Disordered Calcium Phosphate Surfaces of Biocements

Interactions between biomolecules and structurally disordered calcium phosphate (CaP) surfaces are crucial for the regulation of bone mineralization by noncollagenous proteins, the organization of complexes of casein and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) in milk, as well as for structure-function relationships of hybrid organic/inorganic interfaces in biomaterials. By a combination of advanced solid-state NMR experiments and metadynamics simulations, we examine the detailed binding of O-phospho-l-serine (Pser) and l-serine (Ser) with ACP in bone-adhesive CaP cements, whose capacity of gluing fractured bone together stems from the close integration of the organic molecules with ACP over a subnanometer scale. The proximity of each carboxy, aliphatic, and amino group of Pser/Ser to the Ca²⁺ and phosphate species of ACP observed from the metadynamics-derived models agreed well with results from heteronuclear solid-state NMR experiments that are sensitive to the ¹³C-³¹P and ¹⁵N-³¹P distances. The inorganic/organic contacts in Pser-doped cements are also contrasted with experimental and modeled data on the Pser binding at nanocrystalline HA particles grown from a Pser-bearing aqueous solution. The molecular adsorption is driven mainly by electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged carboxy/phosphate groups and Ca²⁺ cations of ACP, along with H bonds to either protonated or nonprotonated inorganic phosphate groups. The Pser and Ser molecules anchor at their phosphate/amino and carboxy/amino moieties, respectively, leading to an extended molecular conformation across the surface, as opposed to an "upright standing" molecule that would result from the binding of one sole functional group.

Solid-State NMR Dipolar and Chemical Shift Anisotropy Recoupling Techniques for Structural and Dynamical Studies in Biological Systems

With the development of NMR methodology and technology during the past decades, solid-state NMR (ssNMR) has become a particularly important tool for investigating structure and dynamics at atomic scale in biological systems, where the recoupling techniques play pivotal roles in modern high-resolution MAS NMR. In this review, following a brief introduction on the basic theory of recoupling in ssNMR, we highlight the recent advances in dipolar and chemical shift anisotropy recoupling methods, as well as their applications in structural determination and dynamical characterization at multiple time scales (i.e., fast-, intermediate-, and slow-motion). The performances of these prevalent recoupling techniques are compared and discussed in multiple aspects, together with the representative applications in biomolecules. Given the recent emerging advances in NMR technology, new challenges for recoupling methodology development and potential opportunities for biological systems are also discussed.

Proton-phosphorous connectivities revealed by high-resolution proton-detected solid-state NMR

Proton-detected solid-state NMR enables atomic-level insight in solid-state reactions, for instance in heterogeneous catalysis, which is fundamental for deciphering chemical reaction mechanisms. We herein introduce a phosphorus-31 radiofrequency channel in...

Refined Structures of O-Phospho-l-serine and Its Calcium Salt by New Multinuclear Solid-State NMR Crystallography Methods

O-phospho-l-serine (Pser) and its Ca salt, Ca[O-phospho-l-serine]·H2O (CaPser), play important roles for bone mineralization and were recently also proposed to account for the markedly improved bone-adhesive properties of Pser-doped calcium phosphate-based cements for biomedical implants. However, the hitherto few proposed structural models of Pser and CaPser were obtained by X-ray diffraction, thereby leaving the proton positions poorly defined. Herein, we refine the Pser and CaPser structures by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and contrast them with direct interatomic-distance constraints from two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) correlation experimentation at fast magic-angle spinning (MAS), encompassing double-quantum-single-quantum (2Q-1Q) 1H NMR along with heteronuclear 13C{1H} and 31P{1H} correlation NMR experiments. The Pser and CaPser structures before and after refinements by DFT were validated against sets of NMR-derived effective 1H-1H, 1H-31P, and 1H-13C distances, which confirmed the improved accuracy of the refined structures. Each distance set was derived from one sole 2D NMR experiment applied to a powder without isotopic enrichment. The distances were extracted without invoking numerical spin-dynamics simulations or approximate phenomenological models. We highlight the advantages and limitations of the new distance-extraction procedure. Isotropic 1H, 13C, and 31P chemical shifts obtained by DFT calculations using the gauge including projector augmented wave (GIPAW) method agreed very well with the experimental results. We discuss the isotropic and anisotropic 13C and 31P chemical-shift parameters in relation to the previous literature, where most data on CaPser are reported herein for the first time.

Residual dipolar line width in magic-angle spinning proton solid-state NMR

Magic-angle spinning is routinely used to average anisotropic interactions in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Due to the fact that the homonuclear dipolar Hamiltonian of a strongly coupled spin system does not commute with itself at different time points during the rotation, second-order and higher-order terms lead to a residual dipolar line broadening in the observed resonances. Additional truncation of the residual broadening due to isotropic chemical-shift differences can be observed. We analyze the residual line broadening in coupled proton spin systems based on theoretical calculations of effective Hamiltonians up to third order using Floquet theory and compare these results to numerically obtained effective Hamiltonians in small spin systems. We show that at spinning frequencies beyond 75 kHz, second-order terms dominate the residual line width, leading to a 1 / ω r dependence of the second moment which we use to characterize the line width. However, chemical-shift truncation leads to a partial ω r - 2 dependence of the line width which looks as if third-order effective Hamiltonian terms are contributing significantly. At slower spinning frequencies, cross terms between the chemical shift and the dipolar coupling can contribute in third-order effective Hamiltonians. We show that second-order contributions not only broaden the line, but also lead to a shift of the center of gravity of the line. Experimental data reveal such spinning-frequency-dependent line shifts in proton spectra in model substances that can be explained by line shifts induced by the second-order dipolar Hamiltonian.

Temperature-Dependent Solid-State NMR Proton Chemical-Shift Values and Hydrogen Bonding

Temperature-dependent NMR experiments are often complicated by rather long magnetic-field equilibration times, for example, occurring upon a change of sample temperature. We demonstrate that the fast temporal stabilization of a magnetic field can be achieved by actively stabilizing the temperature of the magnet bore, which allows quantification of the weak temperature dependence of a proton chemical shift, which can be diagnostic for the presence of hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bonding plays a central role in molecular recognition events from both fields, chemistry and biology. Their direct detection by standard structure-determination techniques, such as X-ray crystallography or cryo-electron microscopy, remains challenging due to the difficulties of approaching the required resolution, on the order of 1 Å. We, herein, explore a spectroscopic approach using solid-state NMR to identify protons engaged in hydrogen bonds and explore the measurement of proton chemical-shift temperature coefficients. Using the examples of a phosphorylated amino acid and the protein ubiquitin, we show that fast magic-angle spinning (MAS) experiments at 100 kHz yield sufficient resolution in proton-detected spectra to quantify the rather small chemical-shift changes upon temperature variations.

Recent advances in computational 31 P NMR: Part 1. Chemical shifts

This is the first part of two closely related reviews dealing with the computation of phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shifts in a wide series of organophosphorus compounds including complexes, clusters, and bioorganic phosphorus compounds. In particular, the analysis of the accuracy factors, such as substitution effects, solvent effects, vibrational corrections, and relativistic effects, is presented. This review is dedicated to the Full Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Professor Boris A. Trofimov in view of his invaluable contribution to the field of synthesis, nuclear magnetic resonance, and computation studies of organophosphorus compounds.

A vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) methodology for the measurement of enantiomeric excess in chiral compounds in the solid phase and for the complementary use of NMR and VCD techniques in solution: the camphor case

For the first time, the success of a methodology for the determination of enantiomeric excess (% ee) in chiral solid samples by vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy is reported. We have used camphor to determine the % ee in a blind sample constituted by a mixture of its two enantiomers as a test for the validity of our approach. IR and VCD spectra of different enantiomeric mixtures of R/S-camphor in Nujol mulls were recorded and linear regressions of VCD intensities (ΔAbs.) vs. % ee for selected bands were found. Finally, the VCD intensities of a blind sample were interpolated in these linear regressions, obtaining its % ee with a rms of 2.4. These results in the solid phase were complemented with the determination of % ee in the liquid phase by VCD and NMR techniques, which are proved to be complementary techniques to carry out this kind of analysis. In the same way as in the VCD solid phase, linear regressions of ΔAbs. vs. % ee for selected bands were established, obtaining a rms of 1.1 in the % ee determination of a blind sample. ¹H NMR experiments at 600 MHz using the chiral solvating agent, (S,S)-ABTE, allow the determination of the proportions of enantiomers in CD₂Cl₂ solution with great accuracy. ¹³C CPMAS NMR spectra prove that this technique cannot be used for conglomerates and/or solid solutions.

31P-dephased, 13C-detected REDOR for NMR crystallography at natural isotopic abundance

Typically, the process of NMR-based structure determination relies on accurately measuring a large number of internuclear distances to serve as restraints for simulated annealing calculations. In solids, the rotational-echo double-resonance (REDOR) experiment is a widely used approach to determine heteronuclear dipolar couplings corresponding to distances usually in the range of 1.5-8Å. A challenge in the interpretation of REDOR data is the degeneracy of symmetric subunits in an oligomer or equivalent molecules in a crystal lattice, which produce REDOR trajectories that depend explicitly on two or more distances instead of one. This degeneracy cannot be overcome by either spin dilution (for molecules containing 31P, 19F and other highly abundant nuclei) or selective pulses (in the case where there is chemical shift degeneracy). For small, crystalline molecules, such as phosphoserine, we demonstrate that as many as five inter-molecular distances must be considered to model 31P-dephased REDOR data accurately. We report excellent agreement between simulation and experiment once lattice couplings, 31P chemical shift anisotropy, and radio-frequency field inhomogeneity are all taken into account. We also discuss the systematic inaccuracies that may result from approximations that consider only the initial slope of the REDOR trajectory and/or that utilize a two- or three-spin system. Furthermore, we demonstrate the applicability of 31P-dephased REDOR for validation or refinement of candidate crystal structures and show that this approach is especially informative for NMR crystallography of 31P-containing molecules.

How High Concentrations of Proteins Stabilize the Amorphous State of Calcium Orthophosphate: A Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Study of the Casein Case

Understanding how proteins stabilize amorphous calcium ortho-phosphate (ACP) phases is of great importance in biology and for pharmaceutical or food applications. Until now, most of the former investigations about ACP-protein stability and equilibrium were performed under conditions where ACP colloidal nanoclusters are surrounded by low to moderate concentrations of peptides or proteins (15-30 g L^-1). As a result, the question of ACP-protein interactions in highly concentrated protein systems has clearly been overlooked, whereas it corresponds to actual industrial conditions such as drying or membrane filtration in the dairy industry for instance. In this study, the structure of an ACP phase is monitored in association with one model phosphorylated protein (casein) using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) under two conditions of high protein concentration (300 and 400 g L^-1). At both concentrations and at 25 °C, it is found that the caseins maintain the mineral phase in an amorphous form with no detectable influence on its structure or size. Interestingly, and in both cases, a significant amount of the nonphosphorylated side chains interacts with ACP through hydrogen bonds. The number of these interacting side chains is found to be higher at the highest casein concentration. At 45 °C, which is a destabilizing temperature of ACP under protein-free conditions, the amorphous structure of the mineral phase is partially transformed at a casein concentration of 300 g L^-1, while it remains almost intact at a casein concentration of 400 g L^-1. Therefore, these results clearly indicate that increasing the concentration of proteins favors ACP-protein interactions and stabilizes the ACP clusters more efficiently.

Fine refinement of solid state structure of racemic form of phospho-tyrosine employing NMR Crystallography approach

We present step by step facets important in NMR Crystallography strategy employing O-phospho-dl-tyrosine as model sample. The significance of three major techniques being components of this approach: solid state NMR (SS NMR), X-ray diffraction of powdered sample (PXRD) and theoretical calculations (Gauge Invariant Projector Augmented Wave; GIPAW) is discussed. Each experimental technique provides different set of structural constraints. From the PXRD measurement the size of the unit cell, space group and roughly refined molecular structure are established. SS NMR provides information about content of crystallographic asymmetric unit, local geometry, molecular motion in the crystal lattice and hydrogen bonding pattern. GIPAW calculations are employed for validation of quality of elucidation and fine refinement of structure. Crystal and molecular structure of O-phospho-dl-tyrosine solved by NMR Crystallography is deposited at Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center under number CCDC 1005924.

A practical guide for the setup of a 1H-31P-13C double cross-polarization (DCP) experiment

O-phospho-L-threonine is a convenient sample to setup a (1)H-(31)P-(13)C double cross-polarization (DCP) Hartmann-Hahn match. The (1)H-(31)P-(13)C technique is extremely sensitive to the rate of the sample spinning. Both zero-quantum (ZQ) and double-quantum (DQ) cross-polarization operate at an average spinning rate (6-7 kHz). At higher spinning rates (10 kHz), the DQCP mechanism dominates and leads to a reduction of signal intensity, in particular for lower (31)P RF field strength. The application of two shape pulses during the second cross-polarization greatly improves the signal to noise ratio allowing the recording of better quality spectra. (31)P-(13)C spectrally induced filtering in combination with cross-polarization (SPECIFIC-CP) experiments can be carried out under ZQCP and DQCP conditions if careful attention is paid to the choice of RF field amplitudes and carriers Ω. Application of 1D and 2D (1)H-(31)P-(13)C experiments is demonstrated on model samples; disodium ATP hydrate and O-phospho-L-tyrosine.

A combined first principles computational and solid-state NMR study of a molecular crystal: flurbiprofen

The 1H, 13C and 19F magic-angle spinning NMR spectra have been recorded for Form 1 of flurbiprofen. In the case of 19F, spinning sideband analysis has produced data for the components of the shielding tensor. The chemical shift of the hydrogen-bonded proton was found to be 14.0 ppm. Shielding parameters for all three nuclei have been calculated using Density Functional Theory (DFT) together with the Gauge Including Projector Augmented Wave (GIPAW) method which takes full allowance for the repetition inherent in crystalline structures. Such computations were made for the reported geometry, for a structure with all the atomic positions relaxed using DFT, and with only the hydrogen positions relaxed. The relationships of the computed shifts to those observed are discussed. In general, the correlations are good.

Proton chemical shift anisotropy measurements of hydrogen-bonded functional groups by fast magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy

The suitability of fast MAS solid-state NMR spectroscopy for probing (1)H chemical shift anisotropy of hydrogen-bonded species has been demonstrated.

Solid-state NMR, crystallographic, and computational investigation of bisphosphonates and farnesyl diphosphate synthase-bisphosphonate complexes

Bisphosphonates are a class of molecules in widespread use in treating bone resorption diseases and are also of interest as immunomodulators and anti-infectives. They function by inhibiting the enzyme farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS), but the details of how these molecules bind are not fully understood. Here, we report the results of a solid-state (13)C, (15)N, and (31)P magic-angle sample spinning (MAS) NMR and quantum chemical investigation of several bisphosphonates, both as pure compounds and when bound to FPPS, to provide information about side-chain and phosphonate backbone protonation states when bound to the enzyme. We then used computational docking methods (with the charges assigned by NMR) to predict how several bisphosphonates bind to FPPS. Finally, we used X-ray crystallography to determine the structures of two potent bisphosphonate inhibitors, finding good agreement with the computational results, opening up the possibility of using the combination of NMR, quantum chemistry and molecular docking to facilitate the design of other, novel prenytransferase inhibitors.

Revealing successive steps of deprotonation of L- phosphoserine through 13C and 31P chemical shielding tensor fingerprints

The effects of deprotonation on the (13)C and (31)P chemical shielding tensors of L-O-phosphoserine are revealed by using solid-state NMR spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. The characteristic changes in some principal elements of the (13)C and (31)P chemical shift tensors have been detected during successive steps of deprotonation of carboxyl, phosphate, and amide functional groups. The calculations carried out in a polarizable continuum taking into account the effects of the surroundings have shown their ability to reproduce correctly the changes of the principal values induced by deprotonation and to provide precious information, which is very difficult to obtain experimentally, about the concurrent changes in the orientation of chemical shielding tensors in the molecular frame. The experimentally observed subtle effects related to the deprotonation-induced modifications of intermolecular contacts involving hydrogen bonding as well as the influence of counterions on the (13)C and (31)P principal elements of the chemical shift tensors are also discussed.

A Concerted Approach for the Determination of Molecular Conformation in Ordered and Disordered Materials

We present the successful application of a concerted approach for the investigation of the local environment in ordered and disordered phases in the solid state. In this approach we combined isotope labeling with computational methods and different solid-state NMR techniques. We chose triphenylphosphite (TPP) as an interesting example of our investigations because TPP exhibits two crystalline modifications and two different amorphous phases one of which is highly correlated. In particular we analyzed the conformational distribution in three of these phases. A sample of triply labeled 1-[13C]TPP was prepared and 1D MAS as well as wide-line 13C NMR spectra were measured. Furthermore we acquired 2D 13C wide-line exchange spectra and used this method to derive highly detailed information about the phenyl orientation in the investigated TPP phases. For linkage with a structure model a DFT analysis of the TPP molecule and its immediate environment was carried out. The ab initio calculations of the 13C chemical shift tensor in three- and six-spin systems served as a base for the calculation of 1D and 2D spectra. By comparing these simulations to the experiment an explicit picture of all phases could be drawn on a molecular level. Our results therefore reveal the high potential of the presented approach for detailed studies of the mesoscopic environment even in the challenging case of amorphous materials.

Prediction of 31P nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shifts for phosphines

Quantitative relationships of the (31)P NMR chemical shifts of the phosphorus atoms in 291 phosphines with the atomic ionicity index (INI) and stereoscopic effect parameters (epsilon(alpha), epsilon(beta), epsilon(gamma)) were primarily investigated in this paper for modeling some fundamental quantitative structure-spectroscopy relationships (QSSR). The results indicated that the (31)P NMR chemical shifts of phosphines can be described as the quantitative equation by multiple linear regression (MLR): delta(p)(ppm)= -174.0197-2.6724INI+40.4755epsilon(alpha)+15.1141epsilon(beta)-3.1858epsilon(gamma), correlation coefficient R=0.9479, root mean square error (rms)=13.9, and cross-validated predictive correlation coefficient was found by using the leave-one-out procedure to be Q(2)=0.8919. Furthermore, through way of random sampling, the estimative stability and the predictive power of the proposed MLR model were examined by constructing data set randomly into both the internal training set and external test set of 261 and 30 compounds, respectively, and then the chemical shifts were estimated and predicted with the training correlation coefficient R=0.9467 and rms=13.4 and the external predicting correlation coefficient Q(ext)=0.9598 and rms=10.8. A partial least square model was developed that produced R=0.9466, Q=0.9407 and Q(ext)=0.9599, respectively. Those good results provided a new, simple, accurate and efficient methodology for calculating (31)P NMR chemical shifts of phosphines.

High-resolution solid-state NMR spectroscopy as a tool for investigation of enantioselective inclusion complexation

In this paper, we showed the application of solid state-NMR (SS NMR) spectroscopy in structural studies of chiral compounds employing sample of (E)-1-diphenylphosphinoylpent-3-en-2-ol 1 as a model compound. Racemate of 1 was fully characterized by NMR techniques (both in liquid and solid phase) and X-ray crystallography. Theoretical calculations employing the GIAO approach were used to explain the influence of hydrogen bonding on 31P NMR shielding parameter in racemate. Enantioselective inclusion complexation (EIC) method with TADDOL as host molecule was applied to separate of enantiomers. The formation of host-guest complex and decomplexation procedure was monitored by means of the SS NMR. The liquid-state NMR, due to similarity of 13C and 31P spectral parameters was not able to distinguish racemate from enantiomer. In the solid phase, owing to distinction of hydrogen bonding and molecular packing in the crystal lattice, racemate and enantiomers were easy recognized by NMR spectroscopy.

Search of Nature of Planar Chirality for Pendent Benzodiazacoronands in the Solid State: NMR, X-ray, and DFT Studies

In this work, we report the structural studies on the solid state of two benzodiazacoronads that form chiral and achiral crystals. Crystals have to be considered as a two-component system consisting of an organic unit and a water molecule in 1:1 ratio. Both components play an important role in the crystal structure. The strong (O-H...O, N-H...O) and weak (C-H...O) intermolecular hydrogen bonds are responsible for phase organization and, in consequence, formation of chiral or achiral crystals. The alignment of the water molecule with respect to the macrocycle is different for samples 1 and 2. Removal of water from the crystal lattice of 1 is reversible. Formation of chiral cocrystals from two different achiral molecules by self-assembly is well-known. However, in this paper, we show that the water molecule can be an important achiral cofactor responsible for chiral crystallization.

Structure of Molecular Tweezer Complexes in the Solid State: NMR Experiments, X-ray Investigations, and Quantum Chemical Calculations

The structure of supramolecular complexes formed by a naphthalene-spaced tweezer molecule as host and 1,4-dicyanobenzene (DCNB), 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene (TCNB), and 7,7,8,8-tetracyano-p-quinodimethane (TCNQ) as aromatic, electron-deficient guests is investigated by solid-state NMR and X-ray diffraction measurements. Quantum chemical calculations using linear scaling methods are applied to predict and to assign the 1H NMR chemical shifts of the complexes. By combining experiment and theory, insights into intra- and intermolecular effects influencing the proton chemical shifts of the host-guest system are provided in the solid state.

A density functional study of 17O, 14N and 2H electric field gradient tensors in the real crystalline structure of α-glycine

A density functional theory (DFT) study was carried out to calculate (17)O, (14)N and (2)H electric field gradient (EFG) tensors in accurate neutron diffraction structures of alpha-glycine at 288 and 427 K. B3LYP is the used method and 6-311+G(*) and 6-311++G(**) are the basis sets in the calculations of EFG tensors at the sites of (17)O, (14)N and (2)H nuclei in the monomer and the octameric cluster of alpha-glycine at two temperatures. Quadrupole coupling constants and asymmetry parameters are the converted parameters of calculated EFG tensors to experimentally measurable ones. The calculated results of monomer and the target molecule in octameric cluster reveal that hydrogen-bonding interactions play an important role in the crystalline structure of alpha-glycine where the results of the target molecule in octameric cluster are in good agreement with the experiments.

Solid-state NMR and computational chemistry study of mononucleotides adsorbed to alumina

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy and ab initio computational chemistry are used to determine the structure of the complex formed upon adsorption of the mononucleotide 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-monophosphate (dAMP) to the surface of a mesoporous alumina. In this multi-technique approach, rotational-echo double-resonance NMR results reveal that the phosphate group of dAMP interacts predominantly with octahedrally coordinated aluminum species at the surface, and therefore, adsorption is modeled with both mono- and bidentate sorption of the nucleotide phosphate group with octahedral aluminum. 31P chemical shielding tensors are calculated from the structure of the lowest energy conformations, and these results are compared to tensor values extracted from analysis of spinning-sideband patterns in the experimental 31P cross-polarization magic-angle-spinning NMR spectrum. The chemical shift anisotropy and asymmetry parameter indicate that the binding is via a monodentate, inner-sphere complex.

31P double-quantum solid-state NMR study of phosphoroorganic compounds with (O)P-O-P-(O), (S)P-O-P(S) and (S)P-S-P(O) unit

In this work we have tested applicability of the commonly used double quantum recoupling sequence POST-C7 to study of (31)P-(31)P geometrical constraints for phosphoroorganic model compounds with different chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) and distinct molecular dynamics in the crystal lattice. Our results clearly show that even with large CSA, POST-C7 gives good efficiency of (31)P double-quantum excitations. Moreover, large amplitude molecular motion only slightly disturb (31)P build-up curve. Chi(2) error analysis is used for verification of values and orientations of chemical shift tensors (CST) parameters employed for simulation of POST-C7 buildup curves.

Solid-state NMR and computational studies of 4-methyl-2-nitroacetanilide

Studies on the solid-state structure of two polymorphs of 4-methyl-2-nitroacetanilide (MNA) were conducted using magic-angle spinning (13)C, (15)N and (1)H NMR spectroscopy, together with first-principles computations of NMR shielding (including use of a program that takes explicit account of the translational symmetry inherent in crystalline structures). The effects on (13)C chemical shifts of side-chain rotations have been explored. Information derived from these studies was then incorporated within a systematic space-search methodology for elucidation of trial crystallographic structures from powder XRD.

An Investigation of Weak CH···O Hydrogen Bonds in Maltose Anomers by a Combination of Calculation and Experimental Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Two-dimensional (1)H-(13)C MAS-J-HMQC solid-state NMR spectra of the two anomeric forms of maltose at natural abundance are presented. The experimental (1)H chemical shifts of the CH and CH(2) protons are assigned using first-principles chemical shift calculations that employ a plane-wave pseudopotential approach. Further calculations show that the calculated change in the (1)H chemical shift when comparing the full crystal and an isolated molecule is a quantitative measure of intermolecular C-H...O weak hydrogen bonding. Notably, a clear correlation between a large chemical shift change (up to 2 ppm) and both a short H...O distance (<2.7 A) and a CHO bond angle greater than 130 degrees is observed, thus showing that directionality is important in C-H...O hydrogen bonding.

Magnitudes and Orientations of 31P Chemical Shielding Tensors in Pt(II)−Phosphine Complexes and Other Four-Fold Coordinated Phosphorus Sites

31P MAS and double-quantum filtered 31P MAS NMR experiments at and near the n = 0 rotational resonance condition, as well as off-magic angle spinning 31P NMR experiments on two polycrystalline samples of Pt(II)-phosphine thiolate complexes are reported. Numerical simulations yield complete descriptions of the two 31P spin pairs. 195Pt MAS NMR spectra are straightforward to obtain but sensitively reflect only some parameters of the 195Pt(31P)2 three-spin system. Based on the 31P NMR results obtained and in conjunction with a large body of literature data and irrespective of the chemical nature of the specimen, a unified picture of the dominating motif of 31P chemical shielding tensor orientations of phosphorus sites with 4-fold coordination is identified as a local (pseudo)plane rather than the directions of P element bond directions.

Determining the geometry of strongly hydrogen-bonded silanols in a layered hydrous silicate by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance

High-resolution solid-state NMR spectroscopy is exploited to obtain structural constraints involving strongly hydrogen-bonded silanols in octosilicate, a prominent member of the layered hydrous sodium silicates. Proton-silicon cross-polarization dynamics reveals that octosilicate contains two types of Q(3) silicons present in hydrogen-bonded -Si-O-Hcdots, three dots, centeredO-Si- and -Si-O(-)-type sites which can only be distinguished by their different abilities to cross polarize and the different mobilities of neighboring hydrous species. The theoretical analysis of the oscillating components of the polarization transfer buildup curves suggests that the model of heteronuclear pairs is an adequate description of the quantum spin system within hydrogen-bonded -Si-O-Hcdots, three dots, centeredO-Si- fragments. We also show that dipolar modulated, slow speed magic-angle (29)Si NMR spectrum provides unique geometric information on strongly hydrogen-bonded silanols. The dipolar modulated spinning sidebands contain all the information necessary to determine the internuclear Sicdots, three dots, centeredH distances as well as the magnitude and orientation of the principal elements of the (29)Si chemical shielding tensor in the molecular frame. The data provide definite proof of the intralayer character of strongly hydrogen-bonded silanol groups in a bridging, albeit not symmetric, position between neighboring tetrahedra. The approach developed in this work may be useful to obtain structural information on related layered alkali metal silicates, silica gels as well as on other classes of microporous materials.

Correlations between 31P Chemical Shift Anisotropy and Molecular Structure in Polycrystalline O,O‘-Dialkyldithiophosphate Zinc(II) and Nickel(II) Complexes: 31P CP/MAS NMR and Ab Initio Quantum Mechanical Calculation Studies

Different potassium salts and zinc(II) and nickel(II) O,O'-dialkyldithiophosphate complexes were studied by solid-state 31P CP/MAS and static NMR and ab initio quantum mechanical calculations. Spectra were obtained at different spinning frequencies, and the intensities of the spinning sidebands were used to estimate the chemical shift anisotropy parameters. Useful correlations between the shapes of the 31P chemical shift tensor and the type of ligand were found: terminal ligands have negative values of the skew kappa, while bridging and ionic ligands have positive values for this parameter. The experimental results were compared with known X-ray diffraction structures for some of these complexes as well as with ab initio quantum mechanical calculations, and a useful correlation between the delta22 component of the 31P chemical shift tensor and the S-P-S bond angle in the O,O'-dialkyldithiophoshate zinc(II) and nickel(II) complexes was found: delta22 increases more than 50 ppm with the increase of S-P-S bond angle from ca. 100 degrees to 120 degrees , while the other two principal values of the tensor, delta11 and delta33, are almost conserved. This eventually leads to the change in sign for kappa in the bridging type of ligand, which generally has a larger S-P-S bond angle than the terminally bound O,O'-dialkyldithiophosphate group forming chelating four-membered P(ss)Me heterocycles.

Solid-state 31P NMR spectroscopy of microcrystals of the Ras protein and its effector loop mutants: comparison between crystalline and solution state

Cycling between a GTP bound "on" state and a GDP bound "off" state, guanine nucleotide-binding (GNB) proteins act as molecular switches. The switching process and the interaction with effectors, GTPase-activating proteins, and guanosine nucleotide-exchange factors is accompanied by pronounced conformational changes of the switch regions of the GNB proteins. The aim of the present contribution is to correlate conformational changes observed by liquid-state NMR with solid-state (31)P NMR data and with the results of X-ray crystallography. Crystalline wild-type Ras complexed with GTP analogs such as GppCH(2)p and GppNHp could be prepared. At low temperatures, two different signals were found for the gamma-phosphate group of GppNHp bound to wild-type Ras. This behavior indicates the existence of two different conformations of the molecule in the crystalline state as it is found in solution but not by X-ray crystallography. In contrast to the GppNHp complex, the two separate gamma-phosphate signals could not be observed for GppCH(2)p bound to wild-type Ras. However, an increasing linewidth at low temperature indicates the presence of an exchange process. The results obtained for the wild-type protein are compared with the behavior of GppNHp complexes of the effector loop mutants Ras(T35S) and Ras(T35A). These mutants prefer a conformation similar to the GDP bound "off" state.

Structural studies of inhibition of S-adenosylmethionine synthetase by slow, tight-binding intermediate and product analogues

S-Adenosylmethionine synthetase (ATP: L-methionine S-adenosyltransferase) catalyzes a two-step reaction in which tripolyphosphate (PPPi) is a tightly bound intermediate. Diimidotriphosphate (O(3)P-NH-PO(2)-NH-PO(3); PNPNP), a non-hydrolyzable analogue of PPPi, is the most potent known inhibitor of AdoMet synthetase with a K(i) of 2 nM. The structural basis for the slow, tight-binding inhibition by PNPNP has been investigated by spectroscopic methods. UV difference spectra reveal environmental alterations of aromatic protein residues upon PNPNP binding to form the enzyme.2Mg(2+).PNPNP complex, and more extensive changes upon formation of the enzyme.2Mg(2+).PNPNP.AdoMet complex. Stopped-flow kinetic studies of complex formation revealed that two slow isomerizations follow PNPNP binding in the presence of AdoMet, in contrast to the lower affinity, rapid-equilibrium binding in the absence of AdoMet. (31)P NMR spectra of enzyme complexes with PNPNP revealed electronic perturbations of each phosphorus atom by distinct upfield chemical shifts for each of the three phosphoryl groups in the enzyme.2Mg(2+).PNPNP complex, and further upfield shifts of at least 2 resonances in the complex with AdoMet. Comparison of the chemical shifts for the enzyme-bound PNPNP with the enzyme complexes containing either the product analogue O(3)P-NH-PO(3) or O(3)P-O-PO(2)-NH-PO(3) indicates that the shifts on binding are largest at the binding sites corresponding to those for the alpha and gamma phosphoryl groups of the nucleotide (-3.1 to -4.1 ppm), while the resonance at the beta phosphoryl group position shifts by -2.1 ppm. EPR spectra of Mn(2+) complexes demonstrate spin coupling between the two Mn(2+) in both enzyme.2Mn(2+).PNPNP and enzyme.2Mn(2+).PNPNP.AdoMet, indicating that the metal ions have comparable distances in both cases. The combined results indicate that formation of the highest affinity complex is associated with protein side chain rearrangements and increased electron density at the ligand phosphorus atoms, likely due to ionization of an -NH- group of the inhibitor. The energetic feasibility of ionization of a -NH- group when two Mg(2+) ions are bound to O(3)P-NH-PO(3) is supported by density functional theoretical calculations on model chelates. This mode of interaction is uniquely available to compounds with P-NH-P linkages and may be possible with other proteins in which multiple cations coordinate a polyphosphate chain.

Phosphorylated amino acids: model compounds for solid-state 31P NMR spectroscopic studies of proteins

Solid-state 31P NMR spectroscopy was applied to measure the isotropic chemical shifts, chemical shift anisotropies and asymmetry parameters of three phosphorylated amino acids, O-phospho-L-serine, O-phospho-L-threonine and O-phospho-L-tyrosine. The cross-polarization buildup rates and longitudinal relaxation times of 31P and 1H were-determined and compared with the values measured for a triphosphate (GppCH2p) bound to a crystalline protein (Ras). It is shown that the phosphorylated amino acids are well-suited model compounds, e.g. for the optimization of experiments on crystalline proteins. Two-dimensional exchange experiments on O-phospho-L-tyrosine indicate the existence of an exchange between the two different conformations of the molecule.

Phosphorus magnetic shielding tensors for transition-metal compounds containing phosphine, phosphido, and phosphinidene ligands: Insights from computational chemistry

The present study examines the quality of the restricted Hartree–Fock (RHF) ab initio, B3LYP hybrid density functional theory (DFT), and relativistic zeroth-order regular approximation (ZORA) DFT methods for the calculation of phosphorus chemical shift (CS) tensors in phosphine, phosphido, and phosphinidene transition-metal complexes. A detailed comparison of calculated and experimental 31P CS tensors allows us to identify the characteristic advantages of each computational method. The results from B3LYP and ZORA-DFT calculations indicate that a double-ζ quality basis set reproduces experimental values of the principal components of the 31P CS tensor in many of the phosphorus-containing transition-metal complexes investigated, whereas the RHF method requires a triple-ζ doubly polarized basis set, yet fails in the case of the terminal phosphido group. Inclusion of the spin-orbit relativistic correction with the ZORA-DFT formalism requires a triple-ζ quality basis set to reproduce the experimental data. We demonstrate the merit of modern computational methods for investigating theoretically the effect of geometric variations upon the phosphorus CS tensor by systematically altering the W—P bond length and the W-P-CMe bond angle in W(CO)5(PMe3). Additionally, a previously reported correlation, determined experimentally, relating the 31P CS tensor to the Fe-P-Fe bond angle in a series of iron phosphido-bridging compounds, has been reproduced with calculations using the model compound Fe2(CO)6(µ2-PPh2)(µ2-Cl). The results presented demonstrate the value of modern computational techniques for obtaining a greater understanding of the relationship between phosphorus chemical shifts and molecular structure.Key words: 31P chemical shift, phosphine, phosphido, phosphinidene, RHF, B3LYP, relativistic, ZORA-DFT.