HETCOR Experiments Research Articles

Exploring the influence of hydrogen bond donor groups on the microstructure and intermolecular interactions of amorphous solid dispersions containing diflunisal structural analogues

Drug-polymer intermolecular interactions, and H-bonds specifically, play an important role in the stabilization process of a compound in an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD). However, it is still difficult to predict whether or not interactions will form and what the strength of those interactions would be, based on the structure of drug and polymer. Therefore, in this study, structural analogues of diflunisal (DIF) were synthesized and incorporated in ASDs with poly(vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) (PVPVA) as a stabilizing polymer. The respective DIF derivatives contained different types and numbers of H-bond donor groups, which allowed to assess the influence of these structural differences on the phase behavior and the actual interactions formed in the ASDs. The highest possible drug loading of these derivatives in PVPVA were evaluated through film casting. Subsequently, a lower drug loading of each compound was spray dried. These spray dried ASDs were subjected to an in-depth solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) study, including 1D spectroscopy and relaxometry, as well as 2D dipolar HETCOR experiments. The drug loading study revealed the highest possible loading of 50 wt% for the native DIF in PVPVA. The methoxy DIF derivative reached the second highest drug loading of 35 wt%, while methylation of the carboxyl group of DIF led to a sharp decrease in the maximum loading, to around 10 wt% only. Unexpectedly, the maximum loading increased again when both the COOH and OH groups of diflunisal were methylated in the dimethyl DIF derivative, to around 30 wt%. The ssNMR study on the spray dried ASD samples confirmed intermolecular H-bonding with PVPVA for native DIF and methoxy DIF. Studies of the proton relaxation decay times and 2D 1H–13C dipolar HETCOR experiments indicated that the ASDs with native DIF and methoxy DIF were homogenously mixed, while the ASDs containing DIF methyl ester and dimethyl DIF were phase separated at the nm level. It was established that, for these systems, the availability of the carboxyl group was imperative in the formation of intermolecular H-bonds with PVPVA and in the generation of homogenously mixed ASDs.

Synthesis, characterization and photophysical studies of dual-emissive base-modified fluorescent nucleosides.

A straightforward and efficient methodology has been employed for the synthesis of a diverse set of base-modified fluorescent nucleoside conjugates via Cu(I)-catalysed cycloaddition reaction of 5-ethynyl-2',3',5'-tri-O-acetyluridine/3',5'-di-O-acetyl-2'-deoxyuridine with 4-(azidomethyl)-N9-(4'-aryl)-9,10-dihydro-2H,8H-chromeno[8,7-e][1,3]oxazin-2-ones in tBuOH to afford the desired 1,2,3-triazoles in 92-95% yields. Treatment with NaOMe/MeOH resulted in the final deprotected nucleoside analogues. The synthesized 1,2,3-triazoles demonstrated a significant emission spectrum, featuring two robust bands in the region from 350-500 nm (with excitation at 300 nm) in fluorescence studies. Photophysical investigations revealed a dual-emissive band with high fluorescence intensity, excellent Stokes shift (140-164 nm) and superior quantum yields (0.068-0.350). Furthermore, the electronic structures of the synthesized triazoles have been further verified by DFT studies. Structural characterization of all synthesized compounds was carried out using various analytical techniques, including IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 1H-1H COSY, 1H-13C HETCOR experiments, and HRMS measurements. The dual-emissive nature of these nucleosides would be a significant contribution to nucleoside chemistry as there are limited literature reports on the same.

Diastereoselective Synthesis of Carbohydrate Conjugates: Pyrano[3,2-c]quinolones

AbstractA facile and efficient protocol for the diastereoselective synthesis of pyrano[3,2-c]quinolone carbohydrate derivatives from Perlin aldehydes and 4-hydroxyquinolones has been developed using a one-pot condensation at room temperature. In this investigation, glucose and galactose were employed as inexpensive starting materials to synthesize two sets of pyrano[3,2-c]quinolone-based carbohydrate conjugates. A total of sixteen novel compounds were successfully synthesized using this methodology in good to excellent yields. The reaction exhibited remarkable diastereoselectivity, resulting in a single diastereomeric product with a diastereomeric excess (dr) 97:3 for glucose, while a diastereomeric mixture with a diastereomeric excess (dr) 67:33 was obtained for galactose. The structural characterization of all sixteen compounds was carried out using various analytical techniques, including IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 1H-1H COSY, 1H-13C HETCOR experiments, 2D NOESY NMR, and HRMS data. Additionally, the scalability of the protocol was successfully demonstrated by synthesizing one of the compounds on a gram scale, highlighting its potential for large-scale production.

Achieving Enhanced Mobility of Ions in Ionic Liquid-Based Gel Polymer Electrolytes By Incorporating Inorganic Nanofibers for Li-Ion Battery

Polymer electrolytes have received much attention in Li-ion battery research because of their unique properties, such as, high ionic conductivity, high mechanical strength including good electrode-electrolyte contact. A major research has been focused on improving the conductivity while retaining the mechanical stability of polymer electrolytes. In this context, ionic liquid-based gel polymer electrolytes are an excellent candidate. A detailed NMR investigation of PMMA-ILs gels electrolytes probing the structure and dynamics of ions was recently reported.[1] The presence of ILs in polymer matrix not only improves the conductivity but also enhances the self-healing capability. In another study, self-healing capability that reduces the dendrite formation at the interface has been discovered, for example, in PVDF-HFP-ILs electrolyte.[2] In this regard, this work reports the possible ways to enhance the ionic conductivity of such polymer electrolyte further by adding Al2O3 nanofibers. A series of PVDF-HFP-ILs with 1M LiTFSI in EMIMTFSI at different ratios of Al2O3nanofibers were prepared through solution cast technique. The dynamics of ions confined within polymer-Al2O3 matrix was explored through Impedence and PFG NMR spectroscopy. The amorphocity and the distribution of Al2O3 nanofibers are studied through XRD and SEM-EDX analyses. Lastly, the local structure of ions and their interaction with polymer and Al2O3 nanofibers were established through a detailed solid-state NMR analyses detecting 1H, 27Al, 13C, 19F, 7Li nuclei including 2D 13C{1H} HETCOR experiments. A reasonable enhancement in terms of ionic conductivity was observed with the addition of Al2O3 nanofibers, which improves the conducting pathways within the polymer network.[1] M. N. Garaga, N. Jayakody, C. C. Fraenza, B. Itin, and S. Greenbaum, Journal of Molecular Liquids 329, 115454 (2021).[2] T. Chen, W. Kong, Z. Zhang, L. Wang, Y. Hu, G. Zhu, R. Chen, L. Ma, W. Yan, Y. Wang, J. Liu, and Z. Jin, Nano Energy 54, 17 (2018).

Elemental and Molecular Composition of Humic Acids Isolated from Soils of Tallgrass Temperate Rainforests (Chernevaya taiga) by 1H-13C HECTCOR NMR Spectroscopy

The soils of Chernevaya taiga (tallgrass fir-aspen hemiboreal rainforest) have high fertility in comparison with oligotrophic analogs formed in boreal taiga. We have studied humic acids isolated from the soils of Chernevaya and oligotrophic taiga in the Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo and the Altai regions of Russia and for the first time the structural and molecular composition of humic acids was determined using 13C CP/MAS and 1H-13C HETCOR NMR spectroscopy. According to data obtained in this study, up to 48% of aromatic compounds accumulate in the soils of Chernevaya taiga, which is higher than in the oligotrophic taiga and comparable with this rate of steppe Chernozems. In the course of active processes of transformation of organic matter, a significant number of aromatic fragments accumulates in the middle horizons of soil profiles. Using 13C CP/MAS spectroscopy, it was possible to identify the main structural fragments (aliphatic and aromatic) that formed in humic acids of the Chernevaya taiga. The HETCOR experiment made it possible to accurately determine the boundaries of chemical shifts of the main groups of structural fragments of humic acids. Our results demonstrate that the stabilization of organic compounds occurs in the soil of the Chernevaya taiga, which leads to the resistance of organic matter to biodegradation that is not typical for benchmark soils of boreal environments.

Phosphate uptake by calcite: Constraints of concentration and pH on the formation of calcium phosphate precipitates

The uptake of phosphate by carbonates plays an important role in controlling the fate and transport of phosphorus in soil, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, 31P solid-state NMR was used to investigate the mechanisms of phosphate uptake by calcite over wide pH (6–10) and concentration (5 μM – 10 mM) ranges. It was found that calcium phosphate precipitates formed at very low phosphate concentrations (~ 50 μM, pH 8). Because of their low yield and poor crystallinity, the precipitates were not directly detected by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) but were unequivocally identified by a single NMR peak at δP-31 = ~2.9 ppm. This peak was assigned to carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHap) based on further characterization with 2-D 31P{1H} heterogeneous correlation (HetCor) experiments and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). When [PO43−] was below 30 μM at pH 8, a broad peak at δP-31 = ~4.0 ppm was observed with an FWHM of ~5 ppm; this was assigned to surface adsorbed phosphate on calcite owing to its distinct chemical shift and insignificant 31P-1H cross-polarization (CP) effect. Additionally, we found that the presence of a small amount of dissolved fluoride facilitated the formation of carbonate fluorapatite (CFap), implying that calcite dissolution plays an important role in phosphate sequestration. This study indicated that calcite may be effective for mobilization dissolved phosphate and lowering its bioavailability in aquatic and soil systems.

Combining fast magic angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization with indirect detection to further enhance the sensitivity of solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) and indirect detection are two commonly applied approaches for enhancing the sensitivity of solid-state NMR spectroscopy. However, their use in tandem has not yet been investigated. With the advent of low-temperature fast magic angle spinning (MAS) probes with 1.3-mm diameter rotors capable of MAS at 40 ​kHz it becomes feasible to combine these two techniques. In this study, we performed DNP-enhanced 2D indirectly detected heteronuclear correlation (idHETCOR) experiments on 13C, 15N, 113Cd and 89Y nuclei in functionalized mesoporous silica, CdS nanoparticles, and Y2O3 nanoparticles. The sensitivity of the 2D idHETCOR experiments was compared with those of DNP-enhanced directly-detected 1D cross polarization (CP) and 2D HETCOR experiments performed with a standard 3.2-mm rotor. Due to low CP polarization transfer efficiencies and large proton linewidth, the sensitivity gains achieved by indirect detection alone were lower than in conventional (non-DNP) experiments. Nevertheless, despite the smaller sample volume the 2D idHETCOR experiments showed better absolute sensitivities than 2D HETCOR experiments for nuclei with the lowest gyromagnetic ratios. For 89Y, 2D idHETCOR provided 8.2 times better sensitivity than the 1 D89Y-detected CP experiment performed with a 3.2-mm rotor.

Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and theoretical studies of (4-boronobenzoyl)serine

(4-boronobenzoyl)serine (4BBS) was synthesized and investigated theoretically and experimentally by spectroscopic methods such as FT-IR, Raman and NMR. The molecular structure, spectroscopic parameters and geometric parameters were determined by computational methods. All theoretical calculations were carried out using B3LYP method and 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. Total energy distribution analysis of normal modes was performed to identify characteristic frequencies. To investigate structure of title molecule using NMR, 1H, 13C, 13C APT, 1H-17O and 1H-15N HMQC, 1H-13C HMBC, 1H-13C HETCOR, 1H-1H NOESY and 1H-1H COSY NMR experiment were performed. These results should be useful for the experts in their studies based on functionalized phenylboronic acid derivatives.

Efficient Referencing of FSLG CPMAS HETCOR Spectra Using 2D 1H–1H MAS FSLG

FSLG CPMAS HETCOR is a 2D solid-state NMR experiment which provides structural information and conformational correlation between a 1H and an X-nucleus. However, practical application of the experiment suffers from the chemical shift referencing problem on the indirect 1H dimension. In our paper, we present a novel 1H–1H MAS FSLG-based approach and its application to reference the FSLG CPMAS HETCOR which overcomes the 1H referencing in the 2D 1H-X HETCOR experiment. This approach works excellently irrespective of the sample type over a wide range of temperature.

NMR determination of solvent dependent behavior and XRD structural properties of 4-carboxy phenylboronic acid: A DFT supported study

Solvent dependent structural properties of 4-carboxy phenylboronic acid (4-cpba) were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic methods. The molecular structure and geometric parameters were determined by some computational methods such as B3LYP/6-31 + G(3df,p), HF/aug-cc-pvtz and MP2/6-31G(d). Detailed elucidation of the structural and spectroscopic properties of 4-cpba was carried out with 1H, HETCOR and DOSY NMR experiments. Solvent effects on the structural properties were monitored on the changes of 1H NMR spectra by using various solvents and it was observed that 4-cpba shows serious structural preferences depending on the solvent used.

Solvent-free synthesis of 6β-phenylamino-cholestan-3β,5α-diol and (25R)-6β-phenylaminospirostan-3β,5α-diol as potential antiproliferative agents

In this paper is described a synthetic route to 6β-phenylamino-cholestan-3β,5α-diol and (25R)-6β-phenylaminospirostan-3β,5α-diol, starting from cholesterol and diosgenin, respectively. The products were obtained in two steps by epoxidation followed by aminolysis, through an environmentally friendly and solvent-free method mediated by SZ (sulfated zirconia) as catalyst. The use of SZ allows chemo- and regioselective ring opening of the 5,6α-epoxide during the aminolysis reaction eliminating the required separation of the epoxide mixture. The products obtained were spectroscopically characterized by 1H, PENDANT 13C NMR and HETCOR experiments, and complemented with FTIR-ATR and HRMS. The antiproliferative effect of the β-aminoalcohols was evaluated on MCF-7 cells after 48h of incubation, by MTT and CVS assays. These methodologies showed that both compounds have antiproliferative activity, being more active the cholesterol analogue. Additionally, the cell images obtained by Harris’ Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining protocol, evidenced formation of apoptotic bodies due to the presence of the obtained β-aminoalcohols in a dose-dependent manner.

Transferred Overhauser DNP: A Fast, Efficient Approach for Room Temperature 13C ODNP at Moderately Low Fields and Natural Abundance.

Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) is investigated at a moderately low field (1.2 T) for natural abundance 13C NMR of small molecules in solution state at room temperature. It is shown that ODNP transferred from 1H to 13C by NMR coherence transfer is in general significantly more efficient than direct ODNP of 13C. Compared to direct 13C ODNP, we demonstrate over 4-fold higher 13C sensitivity (signal-to-noise ratio, SNR), achieved in one-eighth of the measurement time by transferred ODNP (t-ODNP). Compared to the 13C signal arising from Boltzmann equilibrium in a fixed measurement time, this is equivalent to about 1500-fold enhancement of 13C signal by t-ODNP, as against a direct 13C ODNP signal enhancement of about 45-fold, both at a moderate ESR saturation factor of about 0.25. This owes in part to the short polarization times characteristic of 1H. Typically, t-ODNP reflects the essentially uniform ODNP enhancements of all protons in a molecule. Although the purpose of this work is to establish the superiority of t-ODNP vis-à-vis direct 13C ODNP, a comparison is also made of the SNR in t-ODNP experiments with standard high resolution NMR as well. Finally, the potential of t-ODNP experiments for 2D heteronuclear correlation spectroscopy of small molecules is demonstrated in 2D 1H-13C HETCOR experiments at natural abundance, with decoupling in both dimensions.

Application of 1H and 27Al magic angle spinning solid state NMR at 60 kHz for studies of Au and Au-Ni catalysts supported on boehmite/alumina

In this work for the first time we show the power of solid state NMR spectroscopy in structural analysis of alumina and catalysts supported on the alumina surface employing very fast (60kHz) magic angle spinning (MAS) technique. In the methodological part we demonstrate that under such MAS condition, cross-polarization (CP) from proton to aluminum is an efficient process when a very weak 27Al RF field is applied. The mechanism of CP transfer and the Hartmann-Hahn (H-H) matching conditions were tested for 27Al RF fields equal to 3.3 and 8.3kHz. It has been found that double quantum (DQ) CP/MAS is the best choice for H-H set with RF =3.3kHz. It has been also proved that the quality of 1H-27Al CP/MAS spectra strongly depends on 27Al carrier offset. Applied to γ-alumina, this method revealed that 1H-27Al CP/MAS at 60kHz is extremely useful for mapping the distribution of hydroxyl groups on the surface. Indeed, the AlV sites, which are not easily detected with Single Pulse Experiment (SPE), are clearly seen when 1H-27Al CP/MAS is applied. Utilizing 2D 1H-27Al CP/MAS HETCOR experiment it was possible to assign the proton positions and to correlate them with aluminum centers. Studies of mono- (Au) and bi- (Au-Ni) metallic catalysts supported on boehmite/alumina carrier employing 1D and 2D HETCOR experiments clearly show that distributions of hydroxyl groups for both systems are dramatically different.

31P-Solid-State NMR Characterization and Catalytic Hydrogenation Tests of Novel heterogenized Iridium-Catalysts

Abstract The synthesis of novel robust and stable iridium-based immobilized catalysts on silica-polymer hybrid materials (Si-PB-Ir) is described. These catalysts are characterized by a combination of 1D 31P CP-MAS and 2D 31P-1H HETCOR and J-resolved multinuclear solid state NMR experiments. Different binding situations such as singly and multiply coordinated phosphines are identified. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are performed to corroborate the interpretation of the experimental NMR data, in order to propose a structural model of the heterogenized catalysts. Finally, the catalytic activity of the Si-PB-Ir catalysts is investigated for the hydrogenation of styrene employing para-enriched hydrogen gas.

Transfer hydrogenation reaction using novel ionic liquid based Rh(I) and Ir(III)-phosphinite complexes as catalyst

Hydrogen transfer reduction methods are attracting increasing interest from synthetic chemists in view of their operational simplicity. Thus, interaction of [Rh(μ-Cl)(cod)]2 and Ir(η5-C5Me5)(μ-Cl)Cl]2 with phosphinite ligand [(Ph2PO)-C7H11N2Cl]Cl, 1 gave new monodendate (1-chloro-3-(3-methylimidazolidin-1-yl)propan-2-yl diphenylphosphinite chloride) (chloro ɳ4-1,5-cyclooctadiene rhodium(I))], 2 and (1-chloro-3-(3-methylimidazolidin-1-yl)propan-2-yl diphenylphosphinite chloride) (dichloro ɳ5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl iridium(III))], 3 complexes, which were characterized by a combination of multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. 1H-{31P} NMR, 1H-13C HETCOR or 1H-1H COSY correlation experiments were used to confirm the spectral assignments. The novel catalysts were applied to transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone derivatives using 2-propanol as a hydrogen source. The results showed that the corresponding alcohols could be obtained with high activity (up to 99%) under mild conditions. Notably, (1-chloro-3-(3-methylimidazolidin-1-yl)propan-2-yl diphenylphosphinite chloride) (chloro ɳ4-1,5-cyclooctadiene rhodium(I))], 2 complex is much more active than the other analogous complex, 3 in the transfer hydrogenation. Furthermore, compound, 2 acts as excellent catalysts, giving the corresponding alcohols in 97–99% conversions in 5 min (TOF ≤ 1176 h−1).

Detection of “free” oxide ions in low-silica Ca/Mg silicate glasses: Results from 17O → 29Si HETCOR NMR

Silicon and oxygen are the two most abundant elements in most technological and geological glasses and glass-forming liquids, and extensive studies of the structures of these materials have been made using 29Si and 17O high-resolution solid-state NMR. Double resonance NMR experiments hold great potential for revealing new details about the network structures of such important materials but have not yet been done for this particular pair of spins because of several technical challenges. Using a crystalline model compound, Ca3SiO5 (calcium trisilicate or the ‘alite’ phase of Portland cement), which contains oxide ion sites bonded either to one Si4+ or only to Ca2+, we demonstrate that the 17O→29Si Cross-Polarization Heteronuclear Correlation (CP-HETCOR) experiment can clearly distinguish between these two types of oxygen sites. The latter species, so-called ‘free’ oxide ions that are bonded to no network cations such as Si4+, play an important role in models of glass and melt structure but have been difficult to directly detect in many systems. In two Ca/Mg silicate glasses near to the orthosilicate composition (O/Si≥4), the HETCOR experiment clearly shows the presence of such ‘free’ oxide ions, whose 1D 17O NMR signals are actually completely hidden under those for the predominant non-bridging oxygens. Their observed chemical shifts suggest coordination by predominantly Mg2+ cations, an ordering that may be expected from the smaller size and stronger bonding interactions of this cation relative to those of Ca2+. The estimated abundances of ‘free’ oxide ions in these glasses are consistent with previous, indirect estimates based on analyses of 1D 29Si NMR spectra.

Selective excitation enables assignment of proton resonances and (1)H-(1)H distance measurement in ultrafast magic angle spinning solid state NMR spectroscopy.

Remarkable developments in ultrafast magic angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR spectroscopy enabled proton-based high-resolution multidimensional experiments on solids. To fully utilize the benefits rendered by proton-based ultrafast MAS experiments, assignment of (1)H resonances becomes absolutely necessary. Herein, we propose an approach to identify different proton peaks by using dipolar-coupled heteronuclei such as (13)C or (15)N. In this method, after the initial preparation of proton magnetization and cross-polarization to (13)C nuclei, transverse magnetization of desired (13)C nuclei is selectively prepared by using DANTE (Delays Alternating with Nutations for Tailored Excitation) sequence and then, it is transferred to bonded protons with a short-contact-time cross polarization. Our experimental results demonstrate that protons bonded to specific (13)C atoms can be identified and overlapping proton peaks can also be assigned. In contrast to the regular 2D HETCOR experiment, only a few 1D experiments are required for the complete assignment of peaks in the proton spectrum. Furthermore, the finite-pulse radio frequency driven recoupling sequence could be incorporated right after the selection of specific proton signals to monitor the intensity buildup for other proton signals. This enables the extraction of (1)H-(1)H distances between different pairs of protons. Therefore, we believe that the proposed method will greatly aid in fast assignment of peaks in proton spectra and will be useful in the development of proton-based multi-dimensional solid-state NMR experiments to study atomic-level resolution structure and dynamics of solids.

Characterization of lithium coordination sites with magic-angle spinning NMR

Lithium, in the form of lithium carbonate, is one of the most common drugs for bipolar disorder. Lithium is also considered to have an effect on many other cellular processes hence it possesses additional therapeutic as well as side effects. In order to quantitatively characterize the binding mode of lithium, it is required to identify the interacting species and measure their distances from the metal center. Here we use magic-angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR to study the binding site of lithium in complex with glycine and water (LiGlyW). Such a compound is a good enzyme mimetic since lithium is four-coordinated to one water molecule and three carboxylic groups. Distance measurements to carbons are performed using a 2D transferred echo double resonance (TEDOR) MAS solid-state NMR experiment, and water binding is probed by heteronuclear high-resolution proton-lithium and proton-carbon correlation (wPMLG-HETCOR) experiments. Both HETCOR experiments separate the main complex from impurities and non-specifically bound lithium species, demonstrating the sensitivity of the method to probe the species in the binding site. Optimizations of the TEDOR pulse scheme in the case of a quadrupolar nucleus with a small quadrupole coupling constant show that it is most efficient when pulses are positioned on the spin-1/2 (carbon-13) nucleus. Since the intensity of the TEDOR signal is not normalized, careful data analysis that considers both intensity and dipolar oscillations has to be performed. Nevertheless we show that accurate distances can be extracted for both carbons of the bound glycine and that these distances are consistent with the X-ray data and with lithium in a tetrahedral environment. The lithium environment in the complex is very similar to the binding site in inositol monophosphatase, an enzyme associated with bipolar disorder and the putative target for lithium therapy. A 2D TEDOR experiment applied to the bacterial SuhB gene product of this enzyme was designed to probe direct correlations between lithium, the enzyme inhibitor, and the closest carboxyl carbons of the binding site. At this point, the chemical shift of the bound carboxyl groups in this 29kDa enzyme could be determined.

1H–13C–29Si triple resonance and REDOR solid-state NMR—A tool to study interactions between biosilica and organic molecules in diatom cell walls

Triple resonance solid-state NMR experiments using the spin combination 1H–13C–29Si are still rarely found in the literature. This is due to the low natural abundance of the two heteronuclei. Such experiments are, however, increasingly important to study hybrid materials such as biosilica and others. A suitable model substance, ideally labeled with both 13C and 29Si, is thus very useful to optimize the experiments before applying them to studies of more complex samples such as biosilica. Tetraphenoxysilane could be synthesized in an easy, two-step synthesis including double isotope labelling. Using tetraphenoxysilane, we established a 1H–13C–29Si double CP-based HETCOR experiment and applied it to diatom biosilica from the diatom species Thalassiosira pseudonana. Furthermore, we carried out 1H–13C{29Si} CP-REDOR experiments in order to estimate the distance between the organic matrix and the biosilica. Our experiments on diatom biosilica strongly indicate a close contact between polyamine-containing parts of the organic matrix and the silica. This corroborates the assumption that the organic matrix is essential for the control of the cell wall formation.

Fast magic angle spinning NMR with heteronucleus detection for resonance assignments and structural characterization of fully protonated proteins.

Heteronucleus-detected dipolar based correlation spectroscopy is established for assignments of ¹H, ¹³C, and ¹⁵N resonances and structural analysis in fully protonated proteins. We demonstrate that ¹³C detected 3D experiments are highly efficient and permit assignments of the majority of backbone resonances, as shown in an 89-residue dynein light chain 8, LC8 protein. With these experiments, we have resolved many ambiguities that were persistent in our previous studies using moderate MAS frequencies and lacking the ¹H dimension. The availability of ¹H isotropic chemical shifts measured with the heteronucleus-detected fast-MAS experiments presented here is essential for the accurate determination of the ¹H CSA tensors, which provide very useful structural probe. Finally, our results indicate that ¹³C detection in fast-MAS HETCOR experiments may be advantageous compared with ¹H detection as it yields datasets of significantly higher resolution in the ¹³C dimension than the ¹H detected HETCOR versions.