Joel: Journal Updates

Hiyam and Andy
89Y Magic Angle Spinning NMR of Y2Ti2-xSnxO7 Pyrochlores
S.E. Ashbrook, K.R. Whittle, G.R.Lumpkin and I. Farnan
J.Phys.Chem.B (2006)110, 9324.

Abstract:
The yttrium local environment in the series of pyrochlores Y2Ti2-xSnxO7 was studied using 89Y NMR. Oxides with the pyrochlore structure exhibit a range of interesting physical and chemical properties, resulting in many technological applications, including the encapsulation of lanthanide- and actinide-bearing radioactive waste. The use of the nonradioactive Y3+ cation provides a sensitive probe for any changes in the local structure and ordering with solid solution composition, through 89Y (I ) 1/2) NMR. We confirm that a single pyrochlore phase is formed over the entire compositional range, with Y found only on the eight-coordinated A site. A significant (15 ppm) chemical shift is observed for each Sn substituted into the Y second neighbor coordination environment. The spectral signal intensities of the possible combinations of Sn/Ti neighbors match those predicted statistically assuming a random distribution of Sn4+/Ti4+ on the six-coordinated pyrochlore B site.


Acidity of Mesoporous MoOx/ZrO2 and WOx/ZrO2 Materials: A Combined Solid-State NMR and Theoretical Calculation Study
J. Xu et al.
J.Phys.Chem.B (2006)110, 10662.

Abstract:
The acidity of mesoporous MoOx/ZrO2 and WOx/ZrO2 materials was studied in detail by multinuclear solidstate NMR techniques as well as DFT quantum chemical calculations. The 1H MAS NMR experiments clearly revealed the presence of two different types of strong Brønsted acid sites on both MoOx/ZrO2 and WOx/ZrO2 mesoporous materials, which were able to prontonate adsorbed pyrine-d5 (resulting in 1H NMR signals at chemical shifts in the range 16-19 ppm) as well as adsorbed trimethylphosphine (giving rise to 31P NMR signal at ca. 0 ppm). The 13C NMR of adsorbed 2-13C-acetone indicated that the average Brønsted acid strength of the two mesoporous materials was stronger than that of zeolite HZSM-5 but still weaker than that of 100% H2SO4, which was in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The quantum chemical calculations revealed the detailed structures of the two distinct types of Brønsted acid sites formed on the mesoporous MoOx/ZrO2 and WOx/ZrO2. The existence of both monomer and oligomer Mo (or W) species containing a Mo-OH-Zr (or W-OH-Zr) bridging OH group was confirmed with the former having an acid strength close to zeolite HZSM-5, with the latter having an acid strength similar to sulfated zirconia. On the basis of our NMR experimental and theoretical calculation results, a possible mechanism was proposed for the formation of acid sites on these mesoporous materials.

Hiyam
Determinations of 15N Chemical Shift Anisotropy Magnitudes in a Uniformly 15N,13C-Labeled Microcrystalline Protein by Three-Dimensional Magic-Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
B.J. Wylie, W.T. Franks, and C.M. Rienstra
J.Phys.Chem.B (2006)110, 10936.

Abstract:
Amide 15N chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) tensors provide quantitative insight into protein structure and dynamics. Experimental determinations of 15N CSA tensors in biologically relevant molecules have typically been performed by NMR relaxation studies in solution, goniometric analysis of single-crystal spectra, or slow magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR experiments of microcrystalline samples. Here we present measurements of 15N CSA tensor magnitudes in a protein of known structure by three-dimensional MAS solid-state NMR. Isotropic 15N, 13CR, and 13C¢ chemical shifts in two dimensions resolve site-specific backbone amide recoupled CSA line shapes in the third dimension. Application of the experiments to the 56-residue ‚1 immunoglobulin binding domain of protein G (GB1) enabled 91 independent determinations of 15N tensors at 51 of the 55 backbone amide sites, for which 15N-13CR and/or 15N-13C¢ cross-peaks were resolved in the two-dimensional experiment. For 37 15N signals, both intra- and interresidue correlations were resolved, enabling direct comparison of two experimental data sets to enhance measurement precision. Systematic variations between ‚-sheet and R-helix residues are observed; the average value for the anisotropy parameter, ‰ (‰ ) ‰zz - ‰iso), for R-helical residues is 6 ppm greater than that for the ‚-sheet residues. The results show a variation in ‰ of 15N amide backbone sites between -77 and -115 ppm, with an average value of -103.5 ppm. Some sites (e.g., G41) display smaller anisotropy due to backbone dynamics. In contrast, we observe an unusually large 15N tensor for K50, a residue that has an atypical, positive value for the backbone torsion angle. To our knowledge, this is the most complete experimental analysis of 15N CSA magnitude to date in a solid protein. The availability of previous high-resolution crystal and solution NMR structures, as well as detailed solid-state NMR studies, will enhance the value of these measurements as a benchmark for the development of ab initio calculations of amide 15N shielding tensor magnitudes.


Another Rod paper
Grand Canonical Monte Carlo Simulations of the 129Xe NMR Line Shapes of Xenon Adsorbed in ((+/-)-[Co(en)3]Cl3
D.N. Sears, R.E. Wasylishen, and T. Ueda
J.Phys.Chem.B (2006)110, 11120.

Abstract:
The 129Xe NMR line shapes of xenon adsorbed in the nanochannels of the (()-[Co(en)3]Cl3 ionic crystal have been calculated by grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations. The results of our GCMC simulations illustrate their utility in predicting 129Xe NMR chemical shifts in systems containing a transition metal. In particular, the nanochannels of (()-[Co(en)3]Cl3 provide a simple, yet interesting, model system that serves as a building block toward understanding xenon chemical shifts in more complex porous materials containing transition metals. Using only the Xe-C and Xe-H potentials and shielding response functions derived from the Xe@CH4 van der Waals complex to model the interior of the channel, the GCMC simulations correctly predict the 129Xe NMR line shapes observed experimentally (Ueda, T.; Eguchi, T.; Nakamura, N.; Wasylishen, R. E. J. Phys. Chem. B 2003, 107, 180-185). At low xenon loading, the simulated 129Xe NMR line shape is axially symmetric with chemical-shift tensor components ‰| ) 379 ppm and ‰^ ) 274 ppm. Although the simulated isotropic chemical shift, ‰iso ) 309 ppm, is overestimated, the anisotropy of the chemical-shift tensor is correctly predicted. The simulations provide an explanation for the observed trend in the 129Xe NMR line shapes as a function of the overhead xenon pressure: ‰^ increased from 274 to 292 ppm, while ‰| changed by only 3 ppm over the entire xenon loading range. The overestimation of the isotropic chemical shifts is explained based upon the results of quantum mechanical 129Xe shielding calculations of xenon interacting with an isolated (()-[Co(en)3]Cl3 molecule. The xenon chemical shift is shown to be reduced by about 12% going from the Xe@[Co(en)3]Cl3 van der Waals complex to the Xe@C2H6 fragment.