Multinuclear Residual Quadrupolar Couplings for Structure and Assignment

Most stable isotopes have a nuclear spin >1/2, but the quadrupole interaction poses challenge on their detection by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). On the other hand, the quadrupole interaction is a rich source of structural information that may be exploited for solution NMR in the form of residual quadrupolar couplings (RQCs) of weakly oriented samples. While 2H RQCs are now well established for structure verification and enantiomeric discrimination of organic molecules, we will in this article highlight some recent work on RQCs of other nuclei (especially 7Li and 11B).

Stationary phase type and temperature effect on HPLC separation of lactic acid enantiomers

Lactic acid is a biologically important organic acid existing in two enantiomeric forms which are differently metabolized in the human body. In this paper, direct chiral separation of lactic acid by high performance liquid chromatography is presented. Five chiral stationary phases based on macrocyclic antibiotics were used for enantioseparation and chromatographic parameters, such as retention factors, resolution and selectivity factors, were determined under different column temperatures ranging from 5 to 45 °C. Optical isomers of lactic acid were efficiently separated using chiral stationary phases based on teicoplanin (R S = 1.9 ) and ristocetin (R S = 1.7 ) in reversed-phase separation mode at the column temperature of 25 °C.

¹H-MAS-NMR chemical shifts in hydrogen-bonded complexes of chlorophenols (pentachlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,6-dichlorophenol, 3,5-dichlorophenol, and p-chlorophenol) and amine, and H/D isotope effects on ¹H-MAS-NMR spectra

Chemical shifts (CS) of the ¹H nucleus in N···H···O type hydrogen bonds (H-bond) were observed in some complexes between chlorophenols [pentachlorophenol (PCP), 2,4,6-tricholorophenol (TCP), 2,6-dichlorophenol (26DCP), 3,5-dichlorophenol (35DCP), and p-chlorophenol (pCP)] and nitrogen-base (N-Base) by solid-state high-resolution ¹H-NMR with the magic-angle-spinning (MAS) method. Employing N-Bases with a wide range of pKa values (0.65-10.75), ¹H-MAS-NMR CS values of bridging H atoms in H-bonds were obtained as a function of the N-Base's pKa. The result showed that the CS values were increased with increasing pKa values in a range of DpKa < 0 [DpKa = pKa(N-Base)-pKa(chlorophenols)] and decreased when DpKa > 2: The maximum CS values was recorded in the PCP (pKa = 5.26)-4-methylpyridine (6.03), TCP (6.59)-imidazole (6.99), 26DCP (7.02)-2-amino-4-methylpyridine (7.38), 35DCP (8.04)-4-dimethylaminopyridine (9.61), and pCP (9.47)-4-dimethylaminopyridine (9.61) complexes. The largest CS value of 18.6 ppm was recorded in TCP-imidazole crystals. In addition, H/D isotope effects on ¹H-MAS-NMR spectra were observed in PCP-2-amino-3-methylpyridine. Based on the results of CS simulation using a B3LYP/6-311+G** function, it can be explained that a little changes of the N-H length in H-bond contribute to the H/D isotope shift of the ¹H-MAS-NMR peaks.

A multinuclear NMR and quantum chemical study of solid trimethylammonium chloride

The solid salt, trimethylammonium chloride (TMAC), is investigated by a combination of NMR spectroscopic techniques and quantum chemical calculations. Chemical shift and nuclear quadrupolar interaction parameters have been measured for 35Cl, 1H/2H, and 15N/14N. These parameters have also been calculated as a function of the hydrogen position in the N···H···Cl fragment. Overall, the measured parameters are consistent with a structure in which the hydrogen is completely transferred to the nitrogen (i.e., N–H···Cl). The high hydrogen chemical shift (10.9 ppm by 2H CP/MAS) and relatively small deuterium quadrupolar coupling constant (127 kHz) indicate a moderately strong N–H···Cl hydrogen bond. A pronounced deuterium isotope effect on the 35Cl quadrupolar coupling constant is observed.

A solid-state 35/37Cl NMR study of a chloride ion receptor and a GIPAW-DFT study of chlorine NMR interaction tensors in organic hydrochlorides

The results of a 35/37Cl solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) study of the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride complex of meso-octamethylcalix[4]pyrrole (1) are reported. Line shapes obtained from magic-angle-spinning and stationary powder samples collected at 9.4 and 21.1 T are analyzed to provide the 35/37Cl quadrupolar tensor and chemical shift (CS) tensor and their relative orientation. The relatively high symmetry of the chloride ion coordination environment is manifested in the small value of the quadrupole coupling constant, CQ(35Cl) = 1.0 MHz. The isotropic chemical shift of 120 ppm (with respect to NaCl(s)) is at the upper edge of the typical range seen for organic hydrochlorides. Consideration of chemical shift anisotropy (span, Ω = 50 ppm) and non-coincidence of the quadrupolar and CS tensors were essential to properly simulate the experimental spectra. The utility of gauge-including projector-augmented wave density functional theory (GIPAW-DFT) calculations of chlorine quadrupolar and CS tensors in organic chlorides was explored by validation against available benchmark experimental data for solid amino acid hydrochlorides. The calculations are shown to systematically overestimate the value of the 35Cl quadrupole coupling constant. Additional calculations on various hydrated and solvated models of 1 are consistent with a structure in which solvent and water of hydration are absent.

Alkaline Earth Chloride Hydrates: Chlorine Quadrupolar and Chemical Shift Tensors by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy and Plane Wave Pseudopotential Calculations

A series of alkaline earth chloride hydrates has been studied by solid-state (35/37)Cl NMR spectroscopy in order to characterize the chlorine electric field gradient (EFG) and chemical shift (CS) tensors and to relate these observables to the structure around the chloride ions. Chlorine-35/37 NMR spectra of solid powdered samples of pseudopolymorphs (hydrates) of magnesium chloride (MgCl(2).6H(2)O), calcium chloride (CaCl(2).2H(2)O), strontium chloride (SrCl(2), SrCl(2).2H(2)O, and SrCl(2).6H(2)O), and barium chloride (BaCl(2).2H(2)O) have been acquired under stationary and magic-angle spinning conditions in magnetic fields of 11.75 and 21.1 T. Powder X-ray diffraction was used as an additional tool to confirm the purity and identity of the samples. Chlorine-35 quadrupolar coupling constants (C(Q)) range from essentially zero in cubic anhydrous SrCl(2) to 4.26+/-0.03 MHz in calcium chloride dihydrate. CS tensor spans, Omega, are between 40 and 72 ppm, for example, Omega= 45+/-20 ppm for SrCl(2).6H(2)O. Plane wave-pseudopotential density functional theory, as implemented in the CASTEP program, was employed to model the extended solid lattices of these materials for the calculation of their chlorine EFG and nuclear magnetic shielding tensors, and allowed for the assignment of the two-site chlorine NMR spectra of barium chloride dihydrate. This work builds upon our current understanding of the relationship between chlorine NMR interaction tensors and the local molecular and electronic structure, and highlights the particular sensitivity of quadrupolar nucleus solid-state NMR spectroscopy to the differences between various pseudopolymorphic structures in the case of strontium chloride.

Chlorine-35/37 NMR Spectroscopy of Solid Amino Acid Hydrochlorides: Refinement of Hydrogen-Bonded Proton Positions Using Experiment and Theory

Trends in the chlorine chemical shift (CS) tensors of amino acid hydrochlorides are investigated in the context of new data obtained at 21.1 T and extensive quantum chemical calculations. The analysis of chlorine-35/37 NMR spectra of solid L-tryptophan hydrochloride obtained at two magnetic field strengths yields the chlorine electric field gradient (EFG) and CS tensors, and their relative orientations. The chlorine CS tensor is also determined for the first time for DL-arginine hydrochloride monohydrate. The drastic influence of 1H decoupling at 21.1 T on the spectral features of salts with particularly small 35Cl quadrupolar coupling constants (CQ) is demonstrated. The chlorine CS tensor spans (Omega) of hydrochloride salts of hydrophobic amino acids are found to be larger than those for salts of hydrophilic amino acids. A new combined experimental-theoretical procedure is described in which quantum chemical geometry optimizations of hydrogen-bonded proton positions around the chloride ions in a series of amino acid hydrochlorides are cross-validated against the experimental chlorine EFG and CS tensor data. The conclusion is reached that the relatively computationally inexpensive B3LYP/3-21G* method provides proton positions which are suitable for subsequent higher-level calculations of the chlorine EFG tensors. The computed value of is less sensitive to the proton positions. Following this cross-validation procedure, /CQ(35Cl)/ is generally predicted within 15% of the experimental value for a range of HCl salts. The results suggest the applicability of chlorine NMR interaction tensors in the refinement of proton positions in structurally similar compounds, e.g., chloride ion channels, for which neutron diffraction data are unavailable.

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy of the quadrupolar halogens: chlorine-35/37, bromine-79/81, and iodine-127

A thorough review of 35/37Cl, 79/81Br, and 127I solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) data is presented. Isotropic chemical shifts (CS), quadrupolar coupling constants, and other available information on the magnitude and orientation of the CS and electric field gradient (EFG) tensors for chlorine, bromine, and iodine in diverse chemical compounds is tabulated on the basis of over 200 references. Our coverage is through July 2005. Special emphasis is placed on the information available from the study of powdered diamagnetic solids in high magnetic fields. Our survey indicates a recent notable increase in the number of applications of solid-state quadrupolar halogen NMR, particularly 35Cl NMR, as high magnetic fields have become more widely available to solid-state NMR spectroscopists. We conclude with an assessment of possible future directions for research involving 35/37Cl, 79/81Br, and 127I solid-state NMR spectroscopy.