Spin-spin Coupling Constants Research Articles

Multinuclear NMR spectroscopy of ethanol isotopic forms in the liquid and gas phase

Several ethanol isotopic species were dissolved in the buffer gases, Xe and SF6, and carefully investigated by NMR spectroscopy. The 1H, 13C and 17O chemical shifts converted to magnetic shielding constants were obtained by extrapolation of the NMR parameters to the zero-density limit of the gaseous mixtures. These nuclear shielding constants are free from intermolecular interactions and can be directly compared with quantum calculation results. At the same time, the second virial coefficients of 1H, 13C and 17O chemical shielding were obtained from the slopes of density dependences.High resolution NMR spectra were also recorded for neat samples to allow measurements of appropriate gas-to-liquid shifts. They reflect the association processes which take place during condensation from gas to the liquid state. Several spin-spin coupling constants in the ethanol molecule were measured in the gas and liquid phase. The changes to the NMR parameters in different phases and isotopic compositions were given and briefly discussed.

NMR Coupling Constants Based on the Bethe–Salpeter Equation in the GW Approximation

We present the first steps to extend the Green's function GW method and the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) to molecular response properties such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) indirect spin-spin coupling constants. We discuss both a nonrelativistic one-component and a quasi-relativistic two-component formalism. The latter describes scalar-relativistic and spin-orbit effects and allows us to study heavy-element systems with reasonable accuracy. Efficiency is maintained by the application of the resolution of the identity approximation throughout. The performance is demonstrated using conventional central processing units (CPUs) and modern graphics processing units (GPUs) for molecules involving several thousand basis functions. Our results show that a large amount of Hartree-Fock exchange is vital to provide a sufficient Kohn-Sham starting point to compute the GW quasi-particle energies. As the GW-BSE approach is generally less accurate for triplet excitations or related properties such as the Fermi-contact interaction, the admixture of the Kohn-Sham correlation kernel through the contracted BSE (cBSE) method improves the results for NMR coupling constants. This leads to remarkable results when combined with the eigenvalue-only self-consistent variant (evGW) and Becke's half and half functional (BH&HLYP) or the CAM-QTP family. The developed methodology is used to calculate the Karplus curve of tin molecules, illustrating its applicability to extended chemically relevant molecules. Here, the GW-cBSE method improves upon the chosen BH&HLYP Kohn-Sham starting points.

Dipolar spin-spin coupling as an auxiliary tool for the structure determination of small isolated molecules.

The "gold standard" for obtaining accurate equilibrium structures is the so-called semi-experimental (SE) approach, which exploits the structural information contained in rotational constants. Within the SE approach, ground-state rotational constants-accurately obtained from high-resolution spectroscopic studies-are computationally corrected in order to remove vibrational effects. The resulting SE equilibrium rotational constants for a significant set of isotopic species allow for retrieving a unique set of equilibrium bond lengths and angles for the molecule under consideration. However, in some cases, the lack of isotopic substitution hampers or even prevents a rigorous and complete structure determination. In this perspective, we introduce the use of dipolar spin-spin coupling constants as an additional source of structural information in support of the standard SE approach. As a proof-of-concept, we tested this new strategy on some prototypical species, such as water, ammonia, phosphine, and their fluorinated counterparts. Our results indicate that-even when the molecular structure can be obtained from a large set of isotopic rotational constants-the use of dipolar spin-spin coupling constants guarantees a better accuracy and reduces the correlations among the geometrical parameters. Moreover, we point out that our approach offers the possibility to fully derive the molecular structure of PF3, a species for which any isotopic substitution is not possible.

Toward a Computational NMR Procedure for Modeling Dipeptide Side-Chain Conformation.

Theoretical relationships between the vicinal spin–spin coupling constants (SSCCs) and the χ1 torsion angles have been studied to predict the conformations of protein side chains. An efficient computational procedure is developed to obtain the conformation of dipeptides through theoretical and experimental SSCCs, Karplus equations, and quantum chemistry methods, and it is applied to three aliphatic hydrophobic residues (Val, Leu, and Ile). Three models are proposed: unimodal-static, trimodal-static-stepped, and trimodal-static-trigonal, where the most important factors are incorporated (coupled nuclei, nature and orientation of the substituents, and local geometric properties). Our results are validated by comparison with NMR and X-ray empirical data described in the literature, obtaining successful results on the 29 residues considered. Using out trimodal residue treatment, it is possible to detect and resolve residues with a simple conformation and those with two or three staggered conformers. In four residues, a deeper analysis explains that they do not have a unique conformation and that the population of each conformation plays an important role.

On the Unexpected Accuracy of the M06L Functional in the Calculation of 1JFC Spin-Spin Coupling Constants.

One-bond spin-spin coupling constants (SSCCs) between F and C are computed with density functional theory (DFT). Surprisingly, M06L stands out for its striking accuracy, outperforming any other investigated functional, including PBE0, otherwise considered one of the most reliable for couplings involving F. Although the computation of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters involving F is known to be a challenging task, even with a rather small basis set as pcJ-1, M06L provides results with a MAD = 11.7 Hz, whereas the average deviation gets as much as 5 times larger for PBE0 (MAD = 60.0 Hz). In the context of SSCCs on the order of 300 Hz, this is particularly remarkable. We find that the accuracy of M06L/pcJ-1 in predicting 1JFC constants does not stem from a well-suited exchange or correlation part of the functional. Instead, it is believed to arise from a fortuitous cancellation of errors, as revealed by investigating the convergence of the basis set. Our findings also indicate that 1JFC constants are highly dependent on the amount of exact exchange included in the expression of the functional, with large fractions being critically important to achieving satisfactory results. Studying the effects of the geometry on 1JFC, we find that optimizing the geometry at the level of theory used to calculate SSCCs generally improves the quality of the results, although the combination of a M06-2X/aug-cc-pVTZ geometry with M06L/pcJ-1 1JFC constants best reproduces the experimental data for organofluorine compounds (with the exception of fluoroalkenes).

Theoretical Investigation of Glycine Micro-Solvated. Energy and NMR Spin Spin Coupling Constants Calculations

Glycine in its neutral form can exist in the gas phase while its zwitterion form is more stable in water solution, but how many waters are actually necessary to stabilize the zwitterionic structure in the gas phase? Are the intramolecular isotropic spin spin coupling constants sensitive enough to accuse the change in the environment? or the conformer observed? These and related questions have been investigated by a computational study at the level of density functional theory employing the B3LYP functional and the 6-31++G**-J basis set. We found that at least two water molecules explicitly accounted for in the super-molecule structure are necessary to stabilize both conformers of glycine within a water polarizable continuum model. At least half of the SSCCs of both conformers are very stable to changes in the environment and at least four of them differ significantly between Neutral and Zwitterion conformation.

O-Methylation in Carbohydrates: An NMR and MD Simulation Study with Application to Methylcellulose.

Methylated carbohydrates are important from both biological and technical perspectives. Specifically, methylcellulose is an interesting cellulose derivative that has applications in foods, materials, cosmetics, and many other fields. While the molecular dynamics simulation technique has the potential for both advancing the fundamental understanding of this polymer and aiding in the development of specific applications, a general drawback is the lack of experimentally validated interaction potentials for the methylated moieties. In the present study, simulations using the GROMOS 56 carbohydrate force field are compared to NMR spin–spin coupling constants related to the conformation of the exocyclic torsion angle ω in d-glucopyranose and derivatives containing a 6-O-methyl substituent and a 13C-isotopologue thereof. A 3JCC Karplus-type relationship is proposed for the C5–C6–O6–CMe torsion angle. Moreover, solvation free energies are compared to experimental data for small model compounds. Alkylation in the form of 6-O-methylation affects exocyclic torsion only marginally. Computed solvation free energies between nonmethylated and methylated molecules were internally consistent, which validates the application of these interaction potentials for more specialized purposes.

Computational NMR of charged systems.

This review covers NMR computational aspects of charged systems-carbocations, heterocations, and heteroanions, which were extensively studied in a number of laboratories worldwide, first of all, at the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute in California directed for several decades by a distinguished scientist, the Nobel laureate George Andrew Olah. The first part of the review briefly outlines computational background of the modern theoretical methods applied to the calculation of chemical shifts and spin-spin coupling constants at the DFT and the non-empirical levels. The second part of the review deals with the historical results, advances, and perspectives of the computational NMR of classical carbocations like methyl cation, CH3+ , and protonated methane, CH5+ , together with their numerous homologs and derivatives. The third and the forth parts of this survey are focused on the NMR computational aspects of accordingly, heterocations and heteroanions, the organic and inorganic ions with a charge localized mainly on heteroatoms like boron, oxygen, nitrogen, and heavier elements.

Multi-configurational short-range density functional theory can describe spin-spin coupling constants of transition metal complexes.

The multi-configurational short-range (sr) density functional theory has been extended to the calculation of indirect spin-spin coupling constants (SSCCs) for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The performance of the new method is compared to Kohn-Sham density functional theory and the ab initio complete active space self-consistent field for a selected set of molecules with good reference values. Two density functionals have been considered, the local density approximation srLDA and srPBE from the GGA class of functionals. All srDFT calculations are of Hartree-Fock-type HF-srDFT or complete active space-type CAS-srDFT. In all cases, the calculated SSCC values are of the same quality for srLDA and srPBE functionals, suggesting that one should use the computationally cost-effective srLDA functionals in applications. For all the calculated SSCCs in organic compounds, the best choice is HF-srDFT; the more expensive CAS-srDFT does not provide better values for these single-reference molecules. Fluorine is a challenge; in particular, the FF, FC, and FO couplings have much higher statistical errors than the rest. For SSCCs involving fluorine and a metal atom CAS-srDFT with singlet, generalized Tamm-Dancoff approximation is needed to get good SSCC values although the reference ground state is not a multi-reference case. For VF6 -1, all other considered models fail blatantly.

Long-range proton–carbon coupling constants for the determination of the stereochemical structure of organic compounds.

A new methods for elucidating stereochemistry of organic compounds was developed on the basis of long-range proton–carbon coupling constants (2,3JC,H) and interpreting spin-coupling constants (3JH,H). Reaction of compound containing pyrin ring with nucleophile reagent was done to open the ring. HSQC-TOCSY experiments one of the new NMR spectroscopy method used to measure this values of spin-coupling constants and elucidating the stereochemistry of the product.

Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Techniques for the Structural Characterization of Geminal Alane-Phosphane Frustrated Lewis Pairs and Secondary Adducts.

The first comprehensive solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) characterization of geminal alane‐phosphane frustrated Lewis pairs (Al/P FLPs) is reported. Their relevant NMR parameters (isotropic chemical shifts, direct and indirect 27Al‐31P spin‐spin coupling constants, and 27Al nuclear electric quadrupole coupling tensor components) have been determined by numerical analysis of the experimental NMR line shapes and compared with values computed from the known crystal structures by using density functional theory (DFT) methods. Our work demonstrates that the 31P NMR chemical shifts for the studied Al/P FLPs are very sensitive to slight structural inequivalences. The 27Al NMR central transition signals are spread out over a broad frequency range (>200 kHz), owing to the presence of strong nuclear electric quadrupolar interactions that can be well‐reproduced by the static 27Al wideband uniform rate smooth truncation (WURST) Carr‐Purcell‐Meiboom‐Gill (WCPMG) NMR experiment. 27Al chemical shifts and quadrupole tensor components offer a facile and clear distinction between three‐ and four‐coordinate aluminum environments. For measuring internuclear Al⋅⋅⋅P distances a new resonance‐echo saturation‐pulse double‐resonance (RESPDOR) experiment was developed by using efficient saturation via frequency‐swept WURST pulses. The successful implementation of this widely applicable technique indicates that internuclear Al⋅⋅⋅P distances in these compounds can be measured within a precision of ±0.1 Å.

Conformational analysis of halobenzaldehydes: A theoretical and spectroscopic study

Rotation of the formyl group in halobenzaldehydes (halo = F, Cl, and Br) has been studied through high-level density functional theory (DFT) calculations and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. The isomeric and conformational energies are dictated by non-Lewis and Lewis-type interactions. The 4-substituted benzaldehydes the most stable isomer due especially to an effective electron resonance and small dipole moment, while destabilizing Lewis-type interactions slightly override the non-Lewis electron delocalization both in the syn and anti conformers of meta isomer. No significant halogen effect is observed on stabilities, excepting for the least stable ortho isomer, where the halogen interacts with the formyl group. Such interaction is more repulsive in the syn conformer (where the halogen and oxygen atoms face one another), but the nature of this interaction changes from predominantly electrostatic to steric contribution on going from F to Br. Infrared stretching vibrations, as well as NMR chemical shifts and spin-spin coupling constants, provided valuable insight into through-bond and through-space effects influencing the stabilities of these compounds.

2‐Hydroxy‐5‐nitropyridine and 5‐nitro‐2‐pyridone: Tautomerism, infrared, Raman, and NMR spectral interpretations, normal coordinate analysis, and DFT calculations

AbstractRaman (3700–50 cm−1) and infrared (IR) (4000–230 cm−1) spectra of 2‐hydroxy‐5‐nitropyridine (HNP; C5H4N2O3) have been recorded in the solid phase in addition to 1H, 13C, and 15N nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of the sample in dimethyl sulfoxide‐d6 (DMSO‐d6). Initially, keto and enol tautomeric forms were proposed owing to proton transfer from the hydroxyl group to pyridine nitrogen atom. Quantum mechanical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT; B3LYP, ωB97XD, and mPW1PW91) were carried out using 6‐31G(d) and 6‐311++G(d,p) basis sets favoring keto‐NPO, 5‐nitro‐2‐pyridone, tautomer by ~0.857–1.345 kcal/mol with minor enol‐HNP in the gas phase. Moreover, 1H, 13C, and 15N NMR chemical shifts were predicted using gauge‐invariant atomic orbital‐DFT calculation at 6‐311++G(d,p) basis set using integral equation formalism of the polarization continuum solvation model including solvent effects. The calculated chemical shifts and spin–spin coupling constants (JHH) for keto tautomer better resemble those experimentally observed rather than the enol form. The observed IR/Raman bands were assigned quantitatively to their normal modes based on the calculated vibrational frequencies, force constants in internal coordinates, normal coordinate analysis, and potential energy distributions. Finally, the nitro and hydroxyl barriers to internal rotations were predicted via a relaxed potential energy surface scan using B3LYP/6‐311++G(d,p) calculations. The results are reported herein and compared with similar molecules whenever appropriate.

1,2-Dihydro-1,3,2-diazaborinine tautomer as an electron-pair donor in hydrogen-bonded complexes

Ab initio MP2/aug’-cc-pVTZ calculations have been carried out to investigate 1,2-dihydro-1,3,2-diazaborinine:HX complexes for HX = H+, HF, HCl, H2O, HCN, NH3, HCP, and HCCH. Most complexes are stabilized by linear, traditional hydrogen bonds except for those with H2O and NH3, which have bridging structures and nonlinear hydrogen bonds. H-atom transfer from N to B can occur in complexes with HF and HCl, with formation of a traditional F–H···N bond and a proton-shared Cl···H···N bond. The binding energies of the uncharged complexes range from 25 to 88 kJ mol−1. Spin-spin coupling constants have been used to characterize these hydrogen-bonded complexes.

NMR Indirect Spin–Spin Coupling Constants in a Modern Quasi-Relativistic Density Functional Framework

A quasi-relativistic implementation of NMR indirect spin-spin coupling constants is presented. The exact two-component (X2C) Hamiltonian and its diagonal local approximation to the unitary decoupling transformation (DLU) are utilized together with the (modified) screened nuclear spin-orbit approach. In a restricted kinetic balance, the finite nucleus model is available for both the scalar and vector potentials. The implementation supports density functionals up to the fourth rung of Jacob's ladder, i.e., (range-separated) hybrid and local hybrid functionals based on a seminumerical ansatz. We assess the quality of our quasi-relativistic X2C approach by comparison with "fully" relativistic four-component results for small main-group molecules and alkynyl compounds. The mean absolute error introduced by the DLU scheme is less than 0.05 × 1019 T J-2 of the reduced coupling constant for the small main-group molecules and 0.5 Hz for the alkynyl compounds. Thus, the error is significantly smaller than finite nucleus size effects for heavy elements. The basis set convergence and the impact of different density functional approximations are further studied. We propose a simple scheme to develop segmented-contracted relativistic all-electron basis sets for NMR spin-spin couplings. Our implementation allows us to perform calculations of extended molecules with reasonable computational effort, which is illustrated for the 1J(119Sn, 31P) coupling constant of a low-valent tin phosphinidenide complex. The corresponding results are in good agreement with the experimental findings.

Microsolvation of the Be-F bond in complexes of BeF2, BeF3 –1, and BeF4 –2 with nH2O, for n = 1–6

Ab initio MP2/aug’-cc-pVTZ calculations have been carried out to determine the structures and binding energies of complexes of BeF2, BeF3 –1, and BeF4 –2 with n H2O molecules, with n = 1–6. For each series of complexes with BeF2, BeF3 –1, and BeF4 –2, the binding energies increase as the number of water molecules increases, but the binding energies per intermolecular bond for complexes formed between BeF2 and BeF4 –2 and nH2O decrease as the number of water molecules increases. The binding energies per bond of the BeF3 –1 complexes show little dependence on the number of H2O molecules present. Intermolecular O-H … F hydrogen bonds (HB) stabilise all complexes of H2O with the beryllium bases except for BeF2:1H2O and BeF2:2H2O. Complexes of BeF2 are also stabilised by O … Be beryllium bonds (BeB) and O-H … O hydrogen bonds. EOM-CCSD calculations have also been performed to determine the spin–spin coupling constants. The one-bond coupling constants 1J(Be-F) increase as the Be-F distance decreases, and exhibit an excellent second-order correlation with that distance. 2hJ(O-F) coupling constants across O-H … F hydrogen bonds also exhibit a second-order dependence on distance. Coupling constants 1beJ(O-Be) and 2hJ(O-O) are found in complexes with BeF2 and exhibit a linear dependence on the Be-O and O-O distances, respectively.

Perturbing the O-H…O Hydrogen Bond in 1-oxo-3-hydroxy-2-propene.

Ab initio MP2/aug’-cc-pVTZ calculations have been carried out to identify and characterize equilibrium structures and transition structures on the 1-oxo-3-hydroxy-2-propene: Lewis acid potential energy surfaces, with the acids LiH, LiF, BeH2, and BeF2. Two equilibrium structures, one with the acid interacting with the C=O group and the other with the interaction occurring at the O–H group, exist on all surfaces. These structures are separated by transition structures that present the barriers to the interconversion of the two equilibrium structures. The structures with the acid interacting at the C=O group have the greater binding energies. Since the barriers to convert the structures with interaction occurring at the O–H group are small, only the isomers with interaction occurring at the C=O group could be experimentally observed, even at low temperatures. Charge-transfer energies were computed for equilibrium structures, and EOM-CCSD spin–spin coupling constants 2hJ(O–O), 1hJ(H–O), and 1J(O–H) were computed for equilibrium and transition structures. These coupling constants exhibit a second-order dependence on the corresponding distances, with very high correlation coefficients.

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies on conformation and stability of mastoparan in methanol.

Mastoparan is a small peptide composed of 14 amino acid residues found in wasp venom. It penetrates into cytoplasm through the cell membranes and then binds to a G protein to stimulate the release of histamine. Conformation and its thermal stability of mastoparan from Vespula lewisi (MP) in methanol are investigated by using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. On the basis of data on NOESY cross peaks, spin-spin coupling constants between an amide proton (NH) and an α-proton, NH chemical shift analyses, and temperature dependence of integrated intensity of NH resonance lines, we found that MP forms the helix between the 5th and 12th residues at low temperatures and the helix segment is maintained even at 54°C. This conformation is similar to that of MP bound to detergent micelles, and hence, methanol is considered to be appropriate as a membrane mimetic for MP. In connection with the function of the venom peptide, significance of high stability of the helical conformation is discussed.

Assessing the Accuracy of Local Hybrid Density Functional Approximations for Molecular Response Properties.

A comprehensive overview of the performance of local hybrid functionals for molecular properties like excited states, ionization potentials within the GW framework, polarizabilities, magnetizabilities, NMR chemical shifts, and NMR spin-spin coupling constants is presented. We apply the generalization of the kinetic energy, τ, with the paramagnetic current density to all magnetic properties and the excitation energies from time-dependent density functional theory. This restores gauge invariance for these properties. Different ansätze for local mixing functions such as the iso-orbital indicator, the correlation length, the Görling-Levy second-order limit, and the spin polarization are compared. For the latter, we propose a modified version of the corresponding hyper-generalized gradient approximation functional of Perdew, Staroverov, Tao, and Scuseria (PSTS) [Phys. Rev. A 2008, 78, 052513] to allow for a numerically stable evaluation of the exchange-correlation kernel and hyperkernel. The PSTS functional leads to a very consistent improvement compared to the related TPSSh functional. It is further shown that the "best" choice of the local mixing function depends on the studied property and molecular class. While functionals based on the iso-orbital indicator lead to rather accurate excitation energies and ionization energies, the results are less impressive for NMR properties, for which a considerable dependence on the considered molecular test set and nuclei is observed. Johnson's local hybrid functional based on the correlation length yields remarkable results for NMR shifts of compounds featuring heavy elements and also for the excitation energies of organic compounds.

Computational NMR of Carbohydrates: Theoretical Background, Applications, and Perspectives.

This review is written amid a marked progress in the calculation of NMR parameters of carbohydrates substantiated by a vast amount of experimental data coming from several laboratories worldwide. By no means are we trying to cover in the present compilation a huge amount of all available data. The main idea of the present review was only to outline general trends and perspectives in this dynamically developing area on the background of a marked progress in theoretical and computational NMR. Presented material is arranged in three basic sections: (1)—a brief theoretical introduction; (2)—applications and perspectives in computational NMR of monosaccharides; and (3)—calculation of NMR chemical shifts and spin-spin coupling constants of di- and polysaccharides.