Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Low-Receptivity Nuclides: The First Demonstration of 61Ni SSNMR as Applied to Structural and Crystallographic Characterization of Diamagnetic Nickel Complexes

Abstract

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has proven to be an invaluable tool for the modern chemist, despite being a relatively insensitive spectroscopic technique. However, it is precisely this insensitivity that limits characterization of low-receptivity nuclides, which make up the bulk of transition metal nuclides, in particular. In this work, high-fields were used to collect the first 61Ni solid-state NMR (SSNMR) spectra of diamagnetic nickel compounds, specifically, bis(1,5-cyclooctadiene)nickel(0) (Ni(cod)2), tetrakis(triphenylphosphite)nickel(0) (Ni[P(OPh)3]4), and tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)nickel(0) (Ni(PPh3)4). This was complemented by NMR study of the co-ordinated ligands and 61Ni density functional theory (DFT) computations. 61Ni SSNMR spectra of Ni(cod)2 were used to determine its isotropic chemical shift (δiso = 965 ± 10 ppm), span (Ω = 1700 ± 50 ppm), skew (κ = -0.15 ± 0.05), quadrupolar coupling constant (CQ = 2.0 ± 0.3 MHz), quadrupolar asymmetry parameter (η = 0.5 ± 0.2), and the relative orientation of the chemical shift and EFG tensors. Solution study of Ni(cod)2 saturated in C6D6 yielded a narrow 61Ni signal, and the temperature dependence of δiso(61Ni) was assessed (δiso being 936.5 ppm at 295 K). The solution is proposed as a secondary chemical shift reference for 61Ni NMR in lieu of the extremely toxic Ni(CO)4 primary reference. For Ni[P(OPh)3]4, 61Ni SSNMR was used to infer the presence of two distinct crystallographic sites and establish ranges for δ¬iso in the solid state, as well as an upper bound for CQ (3.5 MHz for both sites). For Ni(PPh3)4, fitting provided a δiso value of 515 ± 10 ppm, Ω of 50 ± 50 ppm, κ of 0.5 ± 0.5, CQ of 0.05 ± 0.01 MHz, and η of 0.0 ± 0.2. Ni(cod)2 was chosen for study as it is a ubiquitous source of nickel(0), used for both further synthesis of nickel(0) compounds and directly as a catalyst. The study of Ni[P(OPh)3]4 and Ni(PPh3)4 demonstrated the utility of 61Ni SSNMR given the lack of a previously reported crystal structure for both and the transient nature of Ni(PPh3)4 in solution. The work begins in Chapter 1 by introducing the interactions fundamental to NMR spectroscopy, before moving on to briefly review the field of transition metal nuclide NMR, the chemistry of nickel (with an emphasis on homogeneous catalysis with nickel(0)), and the literature with respect to nickel NMR up to this point. In Chapter 2, the theory and practice of NMR are explained, including solid-state NMR, as well as the basic principles of density functional theory NMR computations. The specific experimental and computational methods of this work are also introduced. Lastly, in Chapter 3 the results are discussed in the context of the concepts presented and literature reviewed, and highlight the use of 61Ni NMR as a means to gain novel information about the chemistry of the compounds studied.