Influence of diffusion on pore size distributions determined by xenon porometry

Mechanisms and Beyond: Elucidation of Fluxional Dynamics by Exchange NMR Spectroscopy

Detailed mechanistic information is crucial to our understanding of reaction pathways and selectivity. Dynamic exchange NMR techniques, in particular 2D exchange spectroscopy (EXSY) and its modifications, provide indispensable intricate information on the mechanisms of organic and inorganic reactions and other phenomena, for example, the dynamics of interfacial processes. In this Review, key results from exchange NMR studies of small molecules over the last few decades are systemised and discussed. After a brief introduction to the theory, the key types of dynamic processes are identified and fundamental examples given of intra- and intermolecular reactions, which, in turn, could involve, or not, bond-making and bond-breaking events. Following that logic, internal molecular rotation, intramolecular stereomutation and molecular recognition will first be considered because they do not typically involve bond breaking. Then, rearrangements, substitution-type reactions, cyclisations, additions and other processes affecting chemical bonds will be discussed. Finally, interfacial molecular dynamics and unexpected combinations of different types of fluxional processes will also be highlighted. How exchange NMR spectroscopy helps to identify conformational changes, coordination and molecular recognition processes as well as quantify reaction energy barriers and extract detailed mechanistic information by using reaction rate theory in conjunction with computational techniques will be shown.

Pairwise additivity in the nuclear magnetic resonance interactions of atomic xenon

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of atomic (129/131)Xe is used as a versatile probe of the structure and dynamics of various host materials, due to the sensitivity of the Xe NMR parameters to intermolecular interactions. The principles governing this sensitivity can be investigated using the prototypic system of interacting Xe atoms. In the pairwise additive approximation (PAA), the binary NMR chemical shift, nuclear quadrupole coupling (NQC), and spin-rotation (SR) curves for the xenon dimer are utilized for fast and efficient evaluation of the corresponding NMR tensors in small xenon clusters Xe(n) (n = 2-12). If accurate, the preparametrized PAA enables the analysis of the NMR properties of xenon clusters, condensed xenon phases, and xenon gas without having to resort to electronic structure calculations of instantaneous configurations for n > 2. The binary parameters for Xe(2) at different internuclear distances were obtained at the nonrelativistic Hartree-Fock level of theory. Quantum-chemical (QC) calculations at the corresponding level were used to obtain the NMR parameters of the Xe(n) (n = 2-12) clusters at the equilibrium geometries. Comparison of PAA and QC data indicates that the direct use of the binary property curves of Xe(2) can be expected to be well-suited for the analysis of Xe NMR in the gaseous phase dominated by binary collisions. For use in condensed phases where many-body effects should be considered, effective binary property functions were fitted using the principal components of QC tensors from Xe(n) clusters. Particularly, the chemical shift in Xe(n) is strikingly well-described by the effective PAA. The coordination number Z of the Xe site is found to be the most important factor determining the chemical shift, with the largest shifts being found for high-symmetry sites with the largest Z. This is rationalized in terms of the density of virtual electronic states available for response to magnetic perturbations.

Xenon porometry: a novel method for the derivation of pore size distributions

Xenon porometry is a novel method used for characterizing porous materials by the (129)Xe nuclear magnetic resonance of xenon gas. With the method, the diffusion of gas is slowed down by immersing the material in a medium, which can be in liquid or solid state during measurements. Because of slow diffusion, the signal of a xenon atom is characteristic of the properties of only one pore, and the composite signal of all atoms represents the distribution of properties. The method is especially applicable for determining pore size distribution because the chemical shifts of two different xenon signals (one from liquid and the other from gas pockets in solid) are dependent on pore size. Therefore, the shapes of these signals represent pore size distribution function. In addition, the porosity of the material can be determined by comparing the intensities of two signals. This article focuses on describing xenon signals observed from gas pockets in a solid medium, which has turned out to be most convenient for pore size determination.

2D 129Xe EXSY of xenon atoms in a thermotropic liquid crystal confined to a controlled-pore glass

Two-dimensional (129)Xe exchange spectroscopy (EXSY) NMR measurements are presented for xenon atoms dissolved in a thermotropic nematic Liquid Crystal (LC), Merck Phase 4, confined to a mesoporous Controlled-Pore Glass (CPG) material with an average pore diameter of 81 A. Experiments were carried out as a function of mixing time at two different temperatures in which Phase 4 appears in nematic and isotropic phases. The exchange rate constants of xenon atoms between two different sites were determined utilizing the intensities of diagonal and off-diagonal signals measured in the EXSY spectra. In the studied system, the sites are: (a) xenon dissolved in the bulk LC between the CPG particles; and (b) xenon in the LC confined inside the pores. The diffusion rate of xenon atoms between the various sites was observed to be very slow.