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Lyndon Emsley

Publications and source records attributed to Lyndon Emsley.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Quantitative analysis of backbone dynamics in a crystalline protein from nitrogen-15 spin-lattice relaxation.

A detailed analysis of nitrogen-15 longitudinal relaxation times in microcrystalline proteins is presented. A theoretical model to quantitatively interpret relaxation times is developed in terms of motional amplitude and characteristic time scale. Different averaging schemes are examined in order to propose an analysis of relaxation curves that takes into account the specificity of MAS experiments. In particular, it is shown that magic angle spinning averages the relaxation rate experienced by a single spin over one rotor period, resulting in individual relaxation curves that are dependent on the orientation of their corresponding carousel with respect to the rotor axis. Powder averaging thus leads to a nonexponential behavior in the observed decay curves. We extract dynamic information from experimental decay curves, using a diffusion in a cone model. We apply this study to the analysis of spin-lattice relaxation rates of the microcrystalline protein Crh at two different fields and determine differential dynamic parameters for several residues in the protein.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Proton to carbon-13 INEPT in solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

A refocused INEPT through-bond coherence transfer technique is demonstrated for NMR of rigid organic solids and is shown to provide a valuable building block for the development of NMR correlation experiments in biological solids. The use of efficient proton homonuclear dipolar decoupling in combination with a direct spectral optimization procedure provides minimization of the transverse dephasing of coherences and leads to very efficient through-bond (1)H-(13)C INEPT transfer for crystalline organic compounds. Application of this technique to 2D heteronuclear correlation spectroscopy leads to up to a factor of 3 increase in sensitivity for a carbon-13 enriched sample in comparison to standard through-bond experiments and provides excellent selectivity for one-bond transfer. The method is demonstrated on a microcrystalline sample of the protein Crh (2 x 10.4 kDa).

Journal Article↗

Triple-quantum correlation NMR experiments in solids using J-couplings.

We show that triple-quantum-single-quantum (TQ-SQ) correlation spectra of crystalline and disordered solids can be obtained under MAS using pulse sequences based on through-bond J-couplings. The feasibility of the experiments in coupled spin-1/2 systems is demonstrated for fully 13C-labelled L-alanine and Pb3P4O13 crystalline compounds, considered as model three-spin and four-spin systems, respectively. In the case of phosphate glasses, we show that the obtained TQ-SQ correlation spectra provide an improved description of the glass forming network connectivities and of the chain length distribution in the disordered network.

Alanine↗

Floquet-van Vleck analysis of heteronuclear spin decoupling in solids: the effect of spinning and decoupling sidebands on the spectrum.

We investigate the effect of magic angle spinning on heteronuclear spin decoupling in solids. We use an analytical Floquet-van Vleck formalism to derive expressions for the powder-averaged signal as a function of time. These expressions show that the spectrum consists of a centerband at the isotropic frequency of the observed spin, omega(0), and rotational decoupling sidebands at omega(0)+/-omega(1)+/-momega(r), where omega(1) is the decoupling field strength and omega(r) is the rotation frequency. Rotary resonance occurs when the rotational decoupling sidebands overlap with the centerband. Away from the rotary resonance conditions, the intensity of the centerband as a function of omega(r)/omega(1) is simply related to the total intensity of the rotational decoupling sidebands. Notably, in the absence of offset terms it is shown that as omega(1) decreases, the centerband intensity can decrease without any associated broadening. Furthermore, the centerband width is shown to be independent of spinning speed, to second order for the effects we consider. The effects of I spin chemical shift anisotropy and homonuclear dipolar couplings are also investigated. The analytical results are compared to simulations and experiments.

Algorithms↗

Powder crystallography by proton solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

The investigation of 1H-1H spin-diffusion build-up curves using a rate matrix analysis approach shows that high-resolution magic angle spinning NMR of protons, applied to powdered organic compounds, provides a method to probe crystalline arrangements. The comparison between experimental 1H data and simulation is shown to depend strongly on the parameters of the crystal structure, for example on the unit cell parameters or the orientation of the molecule in the unit cell, and those parameters are experimentally determined for a model organic compound.

Crystallography↗

Through-space contributions to two-dimensional double-quantum J correlation NMR spectra of magic-angle-spinning solids.

A routinely used assumption when interpreting two-dimensional NMR spectra obtained with a commonly used double-quantum (DQ) magic-angle-spining (MAS) pulse sequence referred to as the refocused incredible natural abundance double-quantum transfer experiment (INADEQUATE) [A. Lesage, M. Bardet, and L. Emsley, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 121, 10987 (1999)] has been that correlation peaks are only observed for pairs of nuclei with a through-bond connectivity. The validity of this assumption is addressed here by theory, experiment, and computer simulations. If the isotropic chemical shifts of the two nuclei are different and the MAS frequency is far from rotational resonance, the theoretical description demonstrates that DQ correlation peaks are indeed indicative of a J coupling. However, if the isotropic chemical shifts are the same, it is shown that DQ peaks can appear for pairs of nuclei even in the absence of a through-bond J coupling. These peaks appear in the specific case of a pair of nuclei with a nonzero through-space dipole-dipole coupling and chemical shift anisotropy tensors having different principal magnitudes or orientations, provided that the MAS frequency is comparable to or smaller than the chemical shift anisotropies. Experimental 31P spectra recorded on a sample of TiP2O7 and computer simulations show that the magnitude of these anomalous peaks increases with increasing B0 magnetic field and that they decrease with increasing MAS frequency. This behavior is explained theoretically.

Journal Article↗

Chemical shift correlations in disordered solids.

We show how two-dimensional chemical shift conditional probability distributions can be extracted from experimental NMR correlation spectra of disordered solids. We show that transverse dephasing times are of central importance in determining the resolution (and sensitivity) of these probability distributions. These conditional probability distributions provide a new source of structural information characteristic of disordered solids, which is much more sensitive to structure than the individual-atom chemical shift distributions. The structural information contained in these distributions is clearly a potentially extremely rich source for understanding disorder. This is illustrated with examples of a phosphorus-containing organic compound and with a sample of disordered cellulose where the different structural allomorphs present are identified from the distributions.

Cellulose↗

Water-protein hydrogen exchange in the micro-crystalline protein crh as observed by solid state NMR spectroscopy.

We report site-resolved observation of hydrogen exchange in the micro-crystalline protein Crh. Our approach is based on the use of proton T2' -selective 1H-13C-13C correlation spectra for site-specific assignments of carbons nearby labile protein protons. We compare the proton T2' selective scheme to frequency selective water observation in deuterated proteins, and discuss the impacts of deuteration on 13C linewidths in Crh. We observe that in micro-crystalline proteins, solvent accessible hydroxyl and amino protons show comparable exchange rates with water protons as for proteins in solution, and that structural constraints, such as hydrogen bonding or solvent accessibility, more significantly reduce exchange rates.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Multi-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging in a stray magnetic field.

Stray field imaging has been extensively utilized in the last 10 years to perform very high resolution imaging of samples in a single dimension using the massive field gradient present in the fringe of a superconducting magnet. By spinning the sample around the magic-angle, the stray field gradient is successively reoriented along three orthogonal directions in the sample reference frame, allowing the acquisition of a full three-dimensional Fourier image, thereby providing the possibility to perform multi-dimensional very high-resolution imaging with standard nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy equipment. Here, we show multi-dimensional images demonstrating the feasibility of this technique.

Electromagnetic Fields↗

Probing proton-proton proximities in the solid state: high-resolution two-dimensional 1H-1H double-quantum CRAMPS NMR spectroscopy.

A new 1H DQ (double-quantum) CRAMPS (combined rotation and multiple-pulse sequence) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance experiment incorporating DUMBO homonuclear 1H dipolar decoupling is presented. The major resolution enhancement enables DQ peaks corresponding to all 22 close (<3.5 A) proton-proton proximities in the dipeptide beta-AspAla to be observed. In particular, the DQ CRAMPS spectrum provides access to the alkyl region of the spectrum and yields a clear assignment of the two CH and two diastereotopic CH2 proton resonances.

Journal Article↗

Detailed structural investigation of the grafting of [Ta(=CHtBu)(CH2tBu)3] and [Cp*TaMe4] on silica partially dehydroxylated at 700 degrees C and the activity of the grafted complexes toward alkane metathesis.

The reaction of [Ta(=CHtBu)(CH2tBu)3] or [Cp*Ta(CH3)4] with a silica partially dehydroxylated at 700 degrees C gives the corresponding monosiloxy surface complexes [([triple bond]SiO)Ta(=CHtBu)(CH2tBu)2] and [([triple bond]SiO)Ta(CH3)3Cp*] by eliminating a sigma-bonded ligand as the corresponding alkane (H-CH2tBu or H-CH3). EXAFS data show that an adjacent siloxane bridge of the surface plays the role of an extra surface ligand, which most likely stabilizes these complexes as in [([triple bond]SiO)Ta(=CHtBu)(CH2tBu)2([triple bond]SiOSi[triple bond])] (1a') and [([triple bond]SiO)Ta(CH3)3Cp*([triple bond]SiOSi[triple bond])] (2a'). In the case of [(SiO)Ta(=CHtBu)(CH2tBu)2([triple bond]SiOSi[triple bond])], the structure is further stabilized by an additional interaction: a C-H agostic bond as evidenced by the small J coupling constant for the carbenic C-H (JC-H = 80 Hz), which was measured by J-resolved 2D solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The product selectivity in propane metathesis in the presence of [([triple bond]SiO)Ta(=CHtBu)(CH2tBu)2([triple bond]SiOSi[triple bond])] (1a') as a catalyst precursor and the inactivity of the surface complex [([triple bond]SiO)Ta(CH3)3Cp*([triple bond]SiOSi[triple bond])] (2a') show that the active site is required to be highly electrophilic and probably involves a metallacyclobutane intermediate.

Journal Article↗

Molecular understanding of the formation of surface zirconium hydrides upon thermal treatment under hydrogen of [([triple bond]SiO)Zr(CH2tBu)3] by using advanced solid-state NMR techniques.

The reaction of [([triple bond]SiO)Zr(CH(2)tBu)(3)] with H(2) at 150 degrees C leads to the hydrogenolysis of the zirconium-carbon bonds to form a very reactive hydride intermediate(s), which further reacts with the surrounding siloxane ligands present at the surface of this support to form mainly two different zirconium hydrides: [([triple bond]SiO)(3)Zr-H] (1a, 70-80%) and [([triple bond]SiO)(2)ZrH(2)] (1b, 20-30%) along with silicon hydrides, [([triple bond]SiO)(3)SiH] and [([triple bond]SiO)(2)SiH(2)]. Their structural identities were identified by (1)H DQ solid-state NMR spectroscopy as well as reactivity studies. These two species react with CO(2) and N(2)O to give, respectively, the corresponding formate [([triple bond]SiO)(4-x)Zr(O-C(=O)H)(x)] (2) and hydroxide complexes [([triple bond]SiO)(4-x)Zr(OH)(x)] (x = 1 or 2 for 3a and 3b, respectively) as major surface complexes.

Journal Article↗

Characterization of heteronuclear decoupling through proton spin dynamics in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The work presented here aims at understanding the performance of phase modulated heteronuclear decoupling sequences such as Cosine Modulation or Two Pulse Phase Modulation. To that end we provide an analytical description of the intrinsic behavior of Cosine Modulation decoupling with respect to radio-frequency-inhomogeneity and the proton-proton dipolar coupling network. We discover through a Modulation Frame average Hamiltonian analysis that best decoupling is obtained under conditions where the heteronuclear interactions are removed but notably where homonuclear couplings are recoupled at a homonuclear Rotary Resonance (HORROR) condition in the Modulation Frame. These conclusions are supported by extensive experimental investigations, and notably through the introduction of proton nutation experiments to characterize spin dynamics in solids under decoupling conditions. The theoretical framework presented in this paper allows the prediction of the optimum parameters for a given set of experimental conditions.

Journal Article↗

Principles of spin-echo modulation by J-couplings in magic-angle-spinning solid-state NMR.

In magic-angle-spinning solid-state NMR, the homonuclear J-couplings between pairs of spin-1/2 nuclei may be determined by studying the modulation of the spin echo induced by a pi-pulse, as a function of the echo duration. We present the theory of J-induced spin-echo modulation in magic-angle-spinning solids, and derive a set of modulation regimes which apply under different experimental conditions. In most cases, the dominant spin-echo modulation frequency is exactly equal to the J-coupling. Somewhat surprisingly, the chemical shift anisotropies and dipole-dipole couplings tend to stabilise--rather than abscure--the J-modulation. The theoretical conclusions are supported by numerical simulations and experimental results obtained for three representative samples containing 13C spin pairs.

Anisotropy↗

The 2D MAS NMR spin-echo experiment: the determination of 13C-13C J couplings in a solid-state cellulose sample.

A simple 13C MAS spin-echo experiment is applied to a partially 13C-labelled cellulose sample extracted from wood. 13C-13C J couplings are determined even though considerable chemical disorder leads to observed linewidths in the normal 1D 13C CP MAS spectrum which far exceed the J couplings. The fitting of the experimental data also allows the quantification of the degree of isotopic enrichment.

Carbon Isotopes↗