Anisotropic Hyperfine Research Articles

Binding Site Influence on the Electronic Structure and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Properties of the Phyllosemiquinone Free Radical of Photosystem I

Electronic structure calculations are performed on models of the phyllosemiquinone (PhSQ) free radical in the A(1A) and A(1B) sites of photo system I. Partial geometry optimization of each site is performed, and from the resultant geometry spin densities and hyperfine couplings are calculated. We exploit the ONIOM methodology to progressively build up a model of the A(1A) site and monitor the effect on the spin density distribution of the PhSQ and its hyperfine couplings. For the A(1A) site, we show that while the O1 atom of the PhSQ is not involved in direct hydrogen bonding, the (17)O anisotropic hyperfine coupling for this position is sensitive to interactions with neighboring groups, especially Trp A697 and Phe A689. The results obtained are in agreement with experimental determinations which indicate small differences in (17)O hyperfine couplings for both oxygen atoms. Good agreement between calculated and experimental (1)H and (13)C hyperfine couplings is also found. In addition, we find that a significant (14)N isotropic coupling of 1.4 MHz is calculated for the peptide NH group of Leu A722. The (14)N isotropic hyperfine coupling obtained for the indole nitrogen atom of Trp A697 is calculated to be zero in disagreement with a previous experimental assignment. The spin density distribution of the PhSQ in the A(1B) site is calculated to be very similar to that in the A(1A) site. The presence of just one relatively weak hydrogen bond to the photo system I quinone is proposed to contribute substantially to its relatively low redox potential when compared with the more strongly hydrogen bonded quinone acceptors present in type II reaction centers.

Hydrogen Bonding and Spin Density Distribution in the QBSemiquinone of Bacterial Reaction Centers and Comparison with the QASite

In the photosynthetic reaction center from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, the primary (Q(A)) and secondary (Q(B)) electron acceptors are both ubiquinone-10, but with very different properties and functions. To investigate the protein environment that imparts these functional differences, we have applied X-band HYSCORE, a 2D pulsed EPR technique, to characterize the exchangeable protons around the semiquinone (SQ) in the Q(A) and Q(B) sites, using samples of (15)N-labeled reaction centers, with the native high spin Fe(2+) exchanged for diamagnetic Zn(2+), prepared in (1)H(2)O and (2)H(2)O solvent. The powder HYSCORE method is first validated against the orientation-selected Q-band ENDOR study of the Q(A) SQ by Flores et al. (Biophys. J.2007, 92, 671-682), with good agreement for two exchangeable protons with anisotropic hyperfine tensor components, T, both in the range 4.6-5.4 MHz. HYSCORE was then applied to the Q(B) SQ where we found proton lines corresponding to T ≈ 5.2, 3.7 MHz and T ≈ 1.9 MHz. Density functional-based quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations, employing a model of the Q(B) site, were used to assign the observed couplings to specific hydrogen bonding interactions with the Q(B) SQ. These calculations allow us to assign the T = 5.2 MHz proton to the His-L190 N(δ)H···O(4) (carbonyl) hydrogen bonding interaction. The T = 3.7 MHz spectral feature most likely results from hydrogen bonding interactions of O1 (carbonyl) with both Gly-L225 peptide NH and Ser-L223 hydroxyl OH, which possess calculated couplings very close to this value. The smaller 1.9 MHz coupling is assigned to a weakly bound peptide NH proton of Ile-L224. The calculations performed with this structural model of the Q(B) site show less asymmetric distribution of unpaired spin density over the SQ than seen for the Q(A) site, consistent with available experimental data for (13)C and (17)O carbonyl hyperfine couplings. The implications of these interactions for Q(B) function and comparisons with the Q(A) site are discussed.

Spin relaxation of a short-lived radical in zero magnetic field

A short-lived radical containing only one I = 1/2 nucleus, the muoniated 1,2-dicarboxyvinyl radical dianion, was produced in an aqueous solution by the reaction of muonium with the dicarboxyacetylene dianion. The identity of the radical was confirmed by measuring the muon hyperfine coupling constant (hfcc) by transverse field muon spin rotation spectroscopy and comparing this value with the hfcc obtained from DFT calculations. The muon spin relaxation rate of this radical was measured as a function of temperature in zero magnetic field by the zero field muon spin relaxation technique. The results have been interpreted using the theoretical model of Fedin et al. (J. Chem. Phys., 2003, 118, 192). The muon spin polarization decreases exponentially with time after muon implantation and the temperature dependence of the spin relaxation rate indicates that the dominant relaxation mechanism is the modulation of the anisotropic hyperfine interaction due to molecular rotation. The effective radius of the radical in solution was determined to be 1.12 ± 0.04 nm from the dependence of the muon spin relaxation rate on the temperature and viscosity of the solution, and is approximately 3.6 times larger than the value obtained from DFT calculations.

Formation and dynamics of van der Waals molecules in buffer-gas traps

We show that weakly bound He-containing van der Waals molecules can be produced and magnetically trapped in buffer-gas cooling experiments, and provide a general model for the formation and dynamics of these molecules. Our analysis shows that, at typical experimental parameters, thermodynamics favors the formation of van der Waals complexes composed of a helium atom bound to most open-shell atoms and molecules, and that complex formation occurs quickly enough to ensure chemical equilibrium. For molecular pairs composed of a He atom and an S-state atom, the molecular spin is stable during formation, dissociation, and collisions, and thus these molecules can be magnetically trapped. Collisional spin relaxation is too slow to affect trap lifetimes. However, (3)He-containing complexes can change spin due to adiabatic crossings between trapped and untrapped Zeeman states, mediated by the anisotropic hyperfine interaction, causing trap loss. We provide a detailed model for Ag(3)He molecules, using ab initio calculation of Ag-He interaction potentials and spin interactions, quantum scattering theory, and direct Monte Carlo simulations to describe formation and spin relaxation in this system. The calculated rate of spin-change agrees quantitatively with experimental observations, providing indirect evidence for molecular formation in buffer-gas-cooled magnetic traps. Finally, we discuss the possibilities for spectroscopic detection of these complexes, including a calculation of expected spectra for Ag(3)He, and report on our spectroscopic search for Ag(3)He, which produced a null result.

Spin depolarization and spin exchange in cold collisions involving 3He: role of anisotropy

Mechanisms of spin depolarization, spin relaxation and spin exchange in cold atom-atom, atom-molecule collisions are discussed. The formation of weakly-bound van der Waals molecules in buffer-gas cooled magnetic traps, intermediated by anisotropic hyperfine interaction is considered.

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Studies of Nitrosyl and Thionitrosyl and Density Functional Theory Studies of Nitrido, Nitrosyl, Thionitrosyl, and Selenonitrosyl Complexes of Chromium

The novel S = 1/2 thionitrosyl complexes Cr(NS)(CN)(5)(3-), Cr(NS)(dmso)(5)(2+), and Cr(NS)(nmf)(5)(2+) (dmso = dimethyl sulfoxide, nmf = N-methylformamide) have been prepared, and their optical and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra were studied. The values of the isotropic and anisotropic hyperfine and superhyperfine coupling constants A((53)Cr), A((14)N), and A((13)C) and of g were determined from the EPR spectra at room temperature and at 66 K. The values of A(⊥) and A(iso) in the thionitrosyl complexes were slightly higher than in the analogous nitrosyl complexes. A common feature in the optical absorption spectra of the thionitrosyl complexes in solution at 298 K is an absorption band around 600 nm with a vibronic structure whereas such a band is located around 450 nm in the analogous nitrosyl complexes. Density functional theory (DFT) studies of the series of complexes Cr(N)(H(2)O)(5)(2+), Cr(NO)(H(2)O)(5)(2+), Cr(NS)(H(2)O)(5)(2+), and Cr(NSe)(H(2)O)(5)(2+) show that the unpaired electron resides in a metal-based d(xy) orbital and that the electronic structure in the equatorial plane is similar in all four complexes and similar to Cr(3+). The σ donating ability was found in the order N(3-) ≫ NO < NS ≈ NSe and the π accepting ability in the order NO > NS ≈ NSe. Time dependent DFT calculations gave in all four complexes a d(x(2)-y(2)) ← d(xy) transition energy around 17 500 cm(-1).

Spin glasslike behavior and magnetic enhancement in nanosized Ni–Zn ferrite system

The effects of particle size, structure, microstrain, and cation distribution on magnetic property of nanosized Ni0.35Zn0.65Fe2O4 prepared through high-energy ball milling have been explored by a wide variety of experimental technique namely, x-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, dc magnetization measurement, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The sample exhibits mixed magnetic behavior with a collective magnetic state between 300 and 60 K while spin glasslike freezing of magnetic moments has taken place below 60 K. The sample has displayed enhancement in magnetization, magnetic hyperfine field, coercivity, and anisotropy energy. The inherent superparamagnetic relaxation of ferrite nanoparticles has significantly reduced and it shows evidence of magnetic hysterisis at room temperature. These properties could be profitably used to overcome the inherent instability of magnetic nanoparticles. The intersublattice interaction (JAB) in the sample has strengthened due to migration of Fe3+ ions from octahedral (B) site to tetrahedral (A) site and this accounts for the genesis of counterintuitive magnetic enhancement in the sample.

Hydrogen Bonds between Nitrogen Donors and the Semiquinone in the QB Site of Bacterial Reaction Centers

Photosynthetic reaction centers from Rhodobacter sphaeroides have identical ubiquinone-10 molecules functioning as primary (Q(A)) and secondary (Q(B)) electron acceptors. X-band 2D pulsed EPR spectroscopy, called HYSCORE, was applied to study the interaction of the Q(B) site semiquinone with nitrogens from the local protein environment in natural and (15)N uniformly labeled reactions centers. (14)N and (15)N HYSCORE spectra of the Q(B) semiquinone show the interaction with two nitrogens carrying transferred unpaired spin density. Quadrupole coupling constants estimated from (14)N HYSCORE spectra indicate them to be a protonated nitrogen of an imidazole residue and amide nitrogen of a peptide group. (15)N HYSCORE spectra allowed estimation of the isotropic and anisotropic couplings with these nitrogens. From these data, we calculated the unpaired spin density transferred onto 2s and 2p orbitals of nitrogen and analyzed the contribution of different factors to the anisotropic hyperfine tensors. The hyperfine coupling of other protein nitrogens with the semiquinone is weak (<0.1 MHz). These results clearly indicate that the Q(B) semiquinone forms hydrogen bonds with two nitrogens and provide quantitative characteristics of the hyperfine couplings with these nitrogens, which can be used in theoretical modeling of the Q(B) site. On the basis of the quadrupole coupling constant, one nitrogen can only be assigned to N(delta) of His-L190, consistent with all existing structures. However, we cannot specify between two candidates the residue corresponding to the second nitrogen. Further work employing multifrequency spectroscopic approaches or selective isotope labeling would be desirable for unambiguous assignment of this nitrogen.

Formation of van der Waals Molecules in Buffer-Gas-Cooled Magnetic Traps

We predict that a large class of helium-containing cold polar molecules form readily in a cryogenic buffer gas, achieving densities as high as 10(12) cm(-3). We explore the spin relaxation of these molecules in buffer-gas-loaded magnetic traps and identify a loss mechanism based on Landau-Zener transitions arising from the anisotropic hyperfine interaction. Our results show that the recently observed strong T(-6) thermal dependence of the spin-change rate of silver (Ag) trapped in dense (3)He is accounted for by the formation and spin change of Ag(3)He van der Waals molecules, thus providing indirect evidence for molecular formation in a buffer-gas trap.

The Equilibrium Between the Octahedral and Square Pyramidal Form and the Influence of an Axial Ligand on the Molecular Properties of VIVO Complexes: A Spectroscopic and DFT Study

The previously unreported equilibrium in aqueous solution between the V(IV)O square pyramidal and trans octahedral form with an axial water molecule for a number of bidentate ligands with (N,O) and (O,O) donor sets (6-methylpicolinic (6-mepicH) and 6-methyl-2,3-pyridinedicarboxylic (6-me-2,3-pdcH(2)) acids, dipyridin-2-ylmethanol (Hdpmo) and 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-pyridinone (Hdhp)) has been demonstrated by the combined application of EPR spectroscopy and DFT methods. The EPR spectra suggest that, with increasing ionic strength, the equilibrium is shifted towards the formation of the pentacoordinated species and values of K approximately 4.0 and 7.0 for the systems containing 6-methyl-2,3-pyridinedicarboxylic acid and dipyridin-2-ylmethanol were measured. DFT calculations performed with Gaussian 03 and ORCA software predict the (51)V anisotropic hyperfine coupling constant along the z axis (A(z)), which can be used to demonstrate the presence of an axially bound ligand trans to the V=O bond. The results suggest that an axial donor (charged or not) can lower |A(z)|, in contrast to what was previously believed on the basis of the "additivity rule", and this explains the anomalous behaviour of the V(IV)O complexes formed by N-{2-[(2-pyridylmethylene)amino]phenyl}pyridine-2-carboxamide (Hcapca) and several amidrazone derivatives. The decrease in |A(z)| for the axial binding of a solvent molecule is mainly a result of the reduction of |A(iso)| and this was also observed when the solid [VO(6-methylpicolinato)(2)] was dissolved in DMSO or DMF. The variations in the structural (V=O, V-O and V-N distances, O-V-O and N-V-N angles, and the trigonality index tau) and spectroscopic (|A(z)|, |A(iso)| and nu(V=O)) properties as a function of the axial V-OH(2) distance (R) are also presented. Finally, the electronic structures of the penta- and hexacoordinated complexes are discussed.

Characterization of the Semiquinone Radical Stabilized by the Cytochrome aa3-600 Menaquinol Oxidase of Bacillus subtilis

Cytochrome aa(3)-600 is one of the principle respiratory oxidases from Bacillus subtilis and is a member of the heme-copper superfamily of oxygen reductases. This enzyme catalyzes the two-electron oxidation of menaquinol and the four-electron reduction of O(2) to 2H(2)O. Cytochrome aa(3)-600 is of interest because it is a very close homologue of the cytochrome bo(3) ubiquinol oxidase from Escherichia coli, except that it uses menaquinol instead of ubiquinol as a substrate. One question of interest is how the proteins differ in response to the differences in structure and electrochemical properties between ubiquinol and menaquinol. Cytochrome bo(3) has a high affinity binding site for ubiquinol that stabilizes a ubi-semiquinone. This has permitted the use of pulsed EPR techniques to investigate the protein interaction with the ubiquinone. The current work initiates studies to characterize the equivalent site in cytochrome aa(3)-600. Cytochrome aa(3)-600 has been cloned and expressed in a His-tagged form in B. subtilis. After isolation of the enzyme in dodecylmaltoside, it is shown that the pure enzyme contains 1 eq of menaquinone-7 and that the enzyme stabilizes a mena-semiquinone. Pulsed EPR studies have shown that there are both similarities as well as significant differences in the interactions of the mena-semiquinone with cytochrome aa(3)-600 in comparison with the ubi-semiquinone in cytochrome bo(3). Our data indicate weaker hydrogen bonds of the menaquinone in cytochrome aa(3)-600 in comparison with ubiquinone in cytochrome bo(3). In addition, the electronic structure of the semiquinone cyt aa(3)-600 is more shifted toward the anionic form from the neutral state in cyt bo(3).

Quantum-chemical modeling of structural, electronic, and spin characteristics of NV centers in nanostructured diamond: Surface effect

The effect of the surface of diamond on atomic, electronic, and spin properties of diamond nanocrystals containing single nitrogen-vacancy defects ([NV]− centers) is studied. The surface was modeled with clusters C33H30[NV]−, C66H72[NV]−, which were constructed based on bulk clusters C33H36[NV]− and C69H84[NV]−, respectively. In all cases, clusters in the triplet state S = 1 are considered with the cluster charge being −1. The geometric structure of clusters is optimized using the principle of minimization of the total energy of the system; then, the electronic and spin characteristics of clusters are calculated by the density functional theory. The isotropic and anisotropic hyperfine interaction constants of the electron spin of the NV center with the nuclear spin of the nitrogen atom and 13C atoms located at different sites in the cluster are calculated. It is found that, in contrast to bulk clusters with [NV]-centers in which the spin density is mainly localized at the three carbon atoms that are the nearest neighbors of the vacancy of the center, upon arrangement of the NV center in the immediate proximity to the surface, the spin density is redistributed such that it is mainly localized at the three carbon atoms that are the nearest neighbors of the nitrogen atom of the center and at C atoms that form the first atomic layer of the (111) surface of the nanocrystal.

Influence of Pb(II) Ions on the EPR Properties of the Semiquinone Radicals of Humic Acids and Model Compounds: High Field EPR and Relativistic DFT Studies

X-band (9.76 GHz) and high field (416.00 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) was used to study the interactions between Pb(II) ions and semiquinone radicals of natural humic acids and their simple models. The EPR experiments were performed on powder samples. The formation of Pb(II) complexes with the radicals was accompanied by a significant decrease of g parameters as compared to those observed for parent radicals. Two types of complexes were identified depending on the initial concentration of Pb(II) ions. For one of them the anisotropic hyperfine coupling with the (207)Pb nucleus was observed. Systematic DFT calculations were carried out for complexes with different forms of radical ligands (L(2)(-*), HL(-*), and H(2)L*) derived from 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid representing different ligation schemes. The g parameters calculated for the structure characterized by a significant accumulation of spin density on the Pb atom are strongly deviated from the values observed experimentally. Moreover, a decrease of the spin population on all oxygen atoms as a result of complexation of Pb(II) via carboxyl oxygens and protonation of hydroxyl oxygens is required to reproduce the experimental g parameters.

Hyperfine interaction and electron-spin decoherence in graphene and carbon nanotube quantum dots

We analytically calculate the nuclear-spin interactions of a single electron confined to a carbon nanotube or graphene quantum dot. While the conduction-band states in graphene are $p$-type, the accordant states in a carbon nanotube are $sp$-hybridized due to curvature. This leads to an interesting interplay between isotropic and anisotropic hyperfine interactions. By using only analytical methods, we are able to show how the interaction strength depends on important physical parameters, such as curvature and isotope abundances. We show that for the investigated carbon structures, the $^{13}\text{C}$ hyperfine coupling strength is less than $1\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\text{eV}$, and that the associated electron-spin decoherence time can be expected to be several tens of microseconds or longer, depending on the abundance of spin-carrying $^{13}\text{C}$ nuclei. Furthermore, we find that the hyperfine-induced Knight shift is highly anisotropic, both in graphene and in nanotubes of arbitrary chirality.

Validation of broken-symmetry density functional methods for the calculation of electron paramagnetic resonance parameters of dinuclear mixed-valence MnIVMnIIIcomplexes

. The EPR parameters of a series of dinuclear manganese(III,IV) complexes with mono(μ-oxo), bis(μ-oxo), (μ-oxo)(μ-carboxylato), bis(μ-oxo)(μ-carboxylato), and (μ-oxo)bis(μ-carboxylato) bridges were studied by broken-symmetry density functional (DFT) methods. The influence of the exchange-correlation functional on the agreement with experiment has been evaluated systematically for g tensors;55Mn,14N, and1H hyperfine coupling tensors; and Heisenberg exchange couplings.14N and1H hyperfine couplings,55Mn hyperfine anisotropies, g tensors, and exchange couplings are well described by hybrid functionals with moderate exact-exchange admixtures such as B3LYP. The isotropic55Mn hyperfine couplings require larger exact-exchange admixtures. However, the errors of the B3LYP calculations are systematic and may be corrected by a constant scaling factor, providing good predictive power for a wide range of EPR parameters with broken-symmetry DFT and standard functionals. The influence of terminal and bridging ligands on structure, spin-density distributions, and EPR parameters are evaluated systematically. Computed hyperfine and g tensors are not covariant to each other. This may have consequences for spectra simulations. The nature of the broken-symmetry state and the origin of its spin contamination were analyzed by an expansion into restricted determinants, based on paired orbitals.

A High-Spin Organometallic Fe−S Compound: Structural and Mössbauer Spectroscopic Studies of [Phenyltris((tert-butylthio)methyl)borate]Fe(Me)

The synthesis and structure of the pseudotetrahedral, sulfur-rich, high-spin organoiron(II) [phenyltris((tert-butylthio)methyl)borate]Fe(Me), [PhTt(tBu)]Fe(Me), 1, are reported. Low-temperature Mössbauer spectroscopic studies reveal an isomer shift of delta = 0.60(3) mm/s and DeltaE(Q) = 0.00(1) mm/s and an S = 2 ground multiplet with a negative zero-field splitting, D = -33(3) cm(-1), E/D approximately = 0.01. The small separation of the ground doublet, Delta approximately = 0.01 cm(-1), allows for observation of X-band EPR signals at g(eff) approximately = 10 (g(z) = 2.6, g(x,y) = 2.00). The relatively large negative zero-field splitting and a highly anisotropic magnetic hyperfine tensor, containing a large orbital z component, {-10(4), -10(4), +33.8(2) MHz}, are concordant with the presence of unquenched orbital angular momentum. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations predict that the lowest-lying orbitals have predominantly d(xy)- and d(x(2)-y(2))-like character, separated by an energy gap small enough to allow mixing through spin-orbit coupling, to generate a negative zero-field splitting, consistent with the experimental observations. The experimental and DFT-calculated isomer shifts are in good agreement (delta(calcd) = 0.5 mm/s). The unusual (for a high-spin ferrous site) null electric field gradients can be qualitatively explained in the frame of the spin-orbit coupling mixing. The very small Fermi contact component of the magnetic hyperfine tensor (A(FC)(exp) = -9 MHz) is not well described by the DFT approach (A(FC)(calcd) = +2 MHz). To our knowledge, this is the first study of a sulfur-coordinated high-spin organoiron(II) complex.

Muon Spin Spectroscopy of the Nematic Liquid Crystal 4-n-Pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB)

Avoided level crossing muon spin resonance (ALC-microSR) spectroscopy has been used to study the four cyclohexadienyl-type radicals produced by the addition of muonium (Mu) to the rodlike liquid crystal 4-n-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (5CB). ALC-microSR spectra have been obtained over a wide temperature range in the isotropic, nematic, and crystalline phases. Four Delta0 resonances were observed in the ALC-microSR spectra, from which the methylene proton hyperfine coupling constants (hfcs) of the Mu adducts of 5CB were determined as a function of temperature. The methylene proton hfcs of two of the radicals have unusual temperature dependence in the nematic phase and have smaller values than would be predicted from extrapolating the data in the isotropic phase. We have used the Maier-Saupe theory for rodlike liquid crystals to explain the temperature dependence of the methylene proton hfcs, which results from the ordering of the 5CB molecules, the alignment of the molecules with the external magnetic field, and fluctuations that average the anisotropic hyperfine coupling constants. There are no Delta1 resonances in the ALC-microSR spectra of the nematic phase due to the radicals rotating rapidly around the long molecular axis and fluctuations about the local director. The Delta0 resonances broaden substantially as the temperature is lowered due to the slowing down of the fluctuations, which have an average activation energy of approximately 15.9 kJ mol(-1). Cooling the sample below 275 K stopped the rotation around the long molecular axis and led to the appearance of Delta1 resonances.

Hyperfine Interactions in Half-Doped and 2/3-Doped Charge-Ordering Manganites

The present work is devoted to the theoretical interpretation of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra on nonmagnetic lanthanum ion in charge-ordered La0.5Ca0.5MnO3 and La0.33Ca0.67MnO3 compounds. It is shown that the anisotropic hyperfine interaction, which arises due to the polarization of lanthanum’s external p-shells, plays a crucial role in spectrum forming. Our model allows to explain experimental spectra. The work is partially supported by CRDF REC-005.

Density functional theory – electron paramagnetic resonance study of gamma-irradiated single crystal of amphi-chloroglyoxime

The density functional theory was studied to examine the suggested type of model radicals RI, RII and RIII that have been formed upon gamma-irradiation of single crystals of amphi-chloroglyoxime (ACG). RI, RII and RIII type model radicals were obtained by abstraction of Cl and H atoms from ACG. The possible conformations of these model radicals were obtained using the semi-empirical Austin Model 1 method. Subsequently, hyperfine coupling constants and atomic spin density calculations of these conformations were performed using the Becke-3-Lee-Yang-Parr functional in combination with a split-valence Gaussian basis set. Theoretically calculated values were compared with the experimental values. Calculated isotropic and anisotropic hyperfine coupling constant values of conformations of model radical RII were in good agreement with experimental values. However, the agreement was rather poor in the case of the model radicals RI and RIII. Thus, the findings from the present study clearly suggest that the experimentally observed radical should be the model radical RII.

Electron spin relaxation rates for semiquinones between 25 and 295 K in glass-forming solvents

Electron spin lattice relaxation rates for five semiquinones (2,5-di-t-butyl-1,4-benzosemiquinone, 2,5-di-t-amyl-1,4-benzosemiquinone, 2,5-di-phenyl-1,4-benzosemiquinone, 2,6-di-t-butyl-1,4-benzosemiquinone, tetrahydroxy-1,4-benzosemiquione) were studied by long-pulse saturation recovery EPR in 1:4 glycerol:ethanol, 1:1 glycerol:ethanol, and triethanolamine between 25 and 295 K. Although the dominant process changes with temperature, relaxation rates vary smoothly with temperature, even near the glass transition temperatures, and could be modeled as the sum of contributions that have the temperature dependence that is predicted for the direct, Raman, local mode and tumbling-dependent processes. At 85 K, which is in a temperature range where the Raman process dominates, relaxation rates along the g xx ( g ∼ 2.006) and g yy ( g ∼ 2.005) axes are about 2.7–1.5 times faster than along the g zz axis ( g = 2.0023). In highly viscous triethanolamine, contributions from tumbling-dependent processes are negligible. At temperatures above 100 K relaxation rates in triethanolamine are unchanged between X-band (9.5 GHz) and Q-band (34 GHz), so the process that dominates in this temperature interval was assigned as a local mode rather than a thermally activated process. Because the largest proton hyperfine couplings are only 2.2 G, spin rotation makes a larger contribution than tumbling-dependent modulation of hyperfine anisotropy. Since g anisotropy is small, tumbling-dependent modulation of g anisotropy makes a smaller contribution than spin rotation at X-band. Although there was negligible impact of methyl rotation on T 1, rotation of t-butyl or t-amyl methyl groups enhances spin echo dephasing between 85 and 150 K.