Phosphorus Chemical Shift Tensors for Tetramethyldiphosphine Disulfide: A 31P Single-Crystal NMR, Dipolar-Chemical Shift NMR, and Ab Initio Molecular Orbital Study

A brief introduction to the basics of NMR spectroscopy and selected examples of its applications to materials characterization

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is an analytical technique that gives information on the local magnetic field around atomic nuclei. Since the local magnetic field of the nucleus is directly influenced by such features of the molecular structure as constitution, configuration, conformation, intermolecular interactions, etc., NMR can provide exhaustive information on the chemical structure, which is unrivaled by any other analytical method. Starting from the 1950s, NMR spectroscopy first revolutionized organic chemistry and became an indispensable tool for the structure elucidation of small, soluble molecules. As the technique evolved, NMR rapidly conquered other disciplines of chemical sciences. When the analysis of macromolecules and solids also became feasible, the technique turned into a staple in materials characterization, too. All aspects of NMR spectroscopy, including technical and technological development, as well as its applications in natural sciences, have been growing exponentially since its birth. Hence, it would be impossible to cover, or even touch on, all topics of importance related to this versatile analytical tool. In this tutorial, we aim to introduce the reader to the basic principles of NMR spectroscopy, instrumentation, historical development and currently available brands, practical cost aspects, sample preparation, and spectrum interpretation. We show a number of advanced techniques relevant to materials characterization. Through a limited number of examples from different fields of materials science, we illustrate the immense scope of the technique in the analysis of materials. Beyond our inherently limited introduction, an ample list of references should help the reader to navigate further in the field of NMR spectroscopy.

Probing solid iminobis(diorganophosphine chalcogenide) systems with multinuclear magnetic resonance

A 31P and 77Se solid-state NMR investigation of the iminobis(diorganophosphine chalcogenide) HN(R2PE)2 (R = Ph,iPr; E = O, S, Se) systems is presented. The NMR results are discussed in terms of the known HN(R2PE)2 structures available from X-ray crystallography. The phosphorus chemical shift tensors are found to be sensitive to the nature of the alkyl and chalcogen substituents. The nature of the R group also influences the selenium chemical shift tensors of HN(R2PSe)2 (R = Ph, iPr), which are shown to be sensitive to hydrogen bonding in the dimer structure of HN(Ph2PSe)2 and to the presence of disorder in the case of HN(iPr2PSe)2. Scalar relativistic ZORA DFT nuclear magnetic shielding tensor calculations were performed yielding the orientations of the corresponding chemical shift tensors. A theoretical investigation into the effect of the E-P···P-E “torsion” angle on the phosphorus and selenium chemical shift tensors of a truncated HN(Me2PSe)2 system indicates that the electronic effect of the alkyl group on the respective nuclear magnetic shielding tensors are more important than the steric effect of the E-P···P-E torsion angle.Key words: iminobis(diorganophosphine chalcogenide), solid-state NMR, 31P NMR, 77Se NMR, ZORA DFT.

Solid-state phosphorus-31 NMR spectroscopy of a multiple-spin system: an investigation of a rhodium-triphosphine complex

Phosphorus-31 NMR spectra of solid [tris(dimethylphenylphosphine)](2,5-norbornadiene) rhodium(I) hexafluorophosphate have been acquired at several applied magnetic field strengths. The phosphorus nuclei of the three phosphine ligands are spin-spin coupled to each other and to 103Rh, resulting in complex NMR spectra; however, the three phosphorus chemical shift (CS) tensors were determined through the analysis of NMR spectra of slow magic angle spinning and stationary samples. Spectra of spinning samples in rotational resonance and two-dimensional 31P NMR spectra were particularly useful for determining the magnitudes of the indirect spin-spin couplings, and to probe their signs. Despite being in similar environments, the three phosphorus nuclei of the phosphine ligands have distinct CS tensors. In particular, the spans of these tensors, delta11-delta33, range from 80 to 176 ppm. The phosphorus CS tensors have been assigned to specific sites determined by X-ray crystallography, based on a combination of the experimental results and the results of quantum chemical calculations of the phosphorus shielding and 2J(31P,31P) values. The effect of coordination of dimethylphenylphosphine with rhodium has been investigated by comparing calculated phosphorus CS tensors for the uncoordinated ligand with those obtained for the ligands in the complex.

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.

Electronic Properties of Furyl Substituents at Phosphorus and Their Influence on 31P NMR Chemical Shifts

The electronic properties of 2-furyl and 3-furyl substituents attached to phosphanes and phosphonium salts were studied by means of IR spectroscopy and experimental and computational (31)P NMR spectroscopy. The heteroaromatic systems proved to be electron withdrawing with respect to phenyl substituents. However, phosphorus atoms with attached furyl substituents are strongly shielded in NMR. The reason for this phenomenon was studied by solid state (31)P MAS NMR experiments. The chemical shift tensor was extracted, and the orientation within the molecules was determined. The tensor component sigma(33), which is effected the most by furyl systems, is oriented perpendicular to the P-C bonds of the substituents. P-furyl bonds are shorter than P-phenyl bonds. We assume therefore a lower ground-state energy of the molecules, because of the electron withdrawing properties of the 2-furyl systems. The sigma(para) component of the (31)P NMR magnetic shielding is therefore smaller, which results in an overall increase of the magnetic shielding.

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.

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.

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.

Characterization of indirect 31P-31P spin-spin coupling and phosphorus chemical shift tensors in pentaphenylphosphinophosphonium tetrachlorogallate, [Ph3P-PPh2][GaCl4]

Phosphorus chemical shift and 31P,31P spin-spin coupling tensors have been characterized for pentaphenylphosphinophosphonium tetrachlorogallate, [Ph3P-PPh2][GaCl4], using solid-state 31P NMR spectroscopy. Spectra obtained with magic-angle spinning yield the isotropic value of the indirect spin-spin coupling, |1J(31P,31P)iso|, 323 ± 2 Hz, while 2D spin-echo and rotational resonance experiments provide the effective dipolar coupling constant, Reff, 1.70 ± 0.02 kHz, and demonstrate that Jiso is negative. Within experimental error, the effective dipolar coupling constant and Jiso are unchanged at –120°C. The anisotropy in 1J(31P,31P), ΔJ, has been estimated by comparison of Reff and the value of the dipolar coupling constant, RDD, calculated from the P—P bond length as determined by X-ray diffraction. It is concluded that |ΔJ| is small, with an upper limit of 300 Hz. Calculations of 1J(31P,31P) for model systems H3P-PH+2 and (CH3)3P-P(CH3)+2 using density functional theory as well as multiconfigurational self-consistent field theory (H3P-PH+2) support this conclusion. The experimental spin-spin coupling parameters were used to analyze the 31P NMR spectrum of a stationary powder sample and provide information about the phosphorus chemical shift tensors. The principal components of the phosphorus chemical shift tensor for the phosphorus nucleus bonded to three phenyl groups are δ11 = 36 ppm, δ22 = 23 ppm, and δ33 = –14 ppm with an experimental error of ±2 ppm for each component. The components are oriented such that δ33 is approximately perpendicular to the P—P bond while δ11 forms an angle of 31° with the P—P bond. For the phosphorus nucleus bonded to two phenyl groups, the principal components of the phosphorus chemical shift tensor are δ11 = 23 ppm, δ22 = –8 ppm, and δ33 = –68 ppm with experimental errors of ±2 ppm. In this case, δ33 is also approximately perpendicular to the P—P bond; however, δ22 is close to the P—P bond for this phosphorus nucleus, forming an angle of 13°. The dihedral angle between the δ33 components of the two phosphorus chemical shift tensors is 25°. Results from ab initio calculations are in good agreement with experiment and suggest orientations of the phosphorus chemical shift tensors in the molecular frame of reference.Key words: Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, phosphorus chemical shift tensors, 31P-31P J-coupling tensors, density functional theory, multiconfigurational self-consistent field theory, phosphinophosphonium salts.