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Liquid forms of pharmaceuticals (ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents) offer a number of potential advantages over solid-state drugs; a key question is the role of intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions in enabling membrane transport. Characterization is challenging since high sample viscosities, typical of liquid pharmaceutical formulations, hamper the use of conventional solution NMR at ambient temperature. Here, we report the application of magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy to the deep eutectic pharmaceutical, lidocaine ibuprofen. Using variable temperature MAS NMR, the neat system, at a fixed molar ratio, can be studied over a wide range of temperatures, characterized by changing mobility, using a single experimental setup. Specific intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions are identified by two-dimensional 1 H- 1 H NOESY and ROESY MAS NMR experiments. Hydrogen-bonding dynamics are quantitatively determined by following the chemical exchange process between the labile protons by means of line-width analysis of variable temperature 1 H MAS NMR spectra.

The lower detection limit for 2 distinct crystalline phases by 1 H magic-angle spinning (MAS) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is investigated for a minority amount of cimetidine (anhydrous polymorph A) in a physical mixture with the anhydrous HCl salt of cimetidine. Specifically, 2-dimensional 1 H double-quantum (DQ) MAS NMR spectra of polymorph A and the anhydrous HCl salt constitute fingerprints for the presence of each of these solid forms. For solid-state NMR data recorded at a 1 H Larmor frequency of 850 MHz and a MAS frequency of 30 kHz on ∼10 mg of sample, it is shown that, by following the pair of cross-peaks at a 1 H DQ frequency of 7.4 + 11.6 = 19.0 ppm that are unique to polymorph A, the level of detection for polymorph A in a physical mixture with the anhydrous HCl salt is a concentration of 1% w/w., (Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Exploitation of plant lignocellulosic biomass is hampered by our ignorance of the molecular basis for its properties such as strength and digestibility. Xylan, the most prevalent non-cellulosic polysaccharide, binds to cellulose microfibrils. The nature of this interaction remains unclear, despite its importance. Here we show that the majority of xylan, which forms a threefold helical screw in solution, flattens into a twofold helical screw ribbon to bind intimately to cellulose microfibrils in the cell wall. 13 C solid-state magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, supported by in silico predictions of chemical shifts, shows both two- and threefold screw xylan conformations are present in fresh Arabidopsis stems. The twofold screw xylan is spatially close to cellulose, and has similar rigidity to the cellulose microfibrils, but reverts to the threefold screw conformation in the cellulose-deficient irx3 mutant. The discovery that induced polysaccharide conformation underlies cell wall assembly provides new principles to understand biomass properties.

Cocrystals and amorphous solid dispersions have generated interest in the pharmaceutical industry as an alternative to more established solid delivery forms. The identification of intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions in a nicotinamide palmitic acid cocrystal and a 50% w/w acetaminophen-polyvinylpyrrolidone solid dispersion are reported using advanced solid-state magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR methods. The application of a novel (14)N-(1)H HMQC experiment, where coherence transfer is achieved via through-space couplings, is shown to identify specific hydrogen bonding motifs. Additionally, (1)H isotropic chemical shifts and (14)N electric field gradient (EFG) parameters, both accessible from (14)N-(1)H HMQC experiments, are shown to be sensitive to changes in hydrogen bonding geometry. Numerous indicators of molecular association are accessible from this experiment, including NH cross-peaks occurring from intermolecular hydrogen bonds and changes in proton chemical shifts or electric field gradient parameters. First-principles calculations using the GIPAW approach that yield accurate estimates of isotropic chemical shifts, and EFG parameters were used to assist in assignment. It is envisaged that (14)N-(1)H HMQC solid state NMR experiments could become a valuable screening technique of solid delivery forms in the pharmaceutical industry.

Molecular packing in two polymorphs of sibenadet hydrochloride (AR-C68397AA, Viozan™) is investigated using a combined experimental (1) H double-quantum (DQ) solid-state magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance and computational (gauge including projected augmented wave calculation of chemical shifts) approach. For Form I, NH-NH and NH-OH (1) H DQ peaks are observed corresponding to nearest distances of 2.62 and 2.87 Å, respectively, for the intermolecular hydrogen-bonding arrangement in the single-crystal X-ray diffraction structure. The same (1) H DQ peaks at the same (1) H chemical shifts are observed for Form II, for which there is no single-crystal diffraction structure, indicating the same intermolecular hydrogen-bonding arrangement of the benzothiazolone moieties as in Form I. (1) H DQ build-up (as a function of the DQ recoupling time) curves are presented for the resolved NH-NH and NH-OH DQ peaks for the two polymorphs. For Form I, the ratio of the maximum intensity for the NH-OH and NH-NH DQ peaks is in excellent agreement with the ratio of the summed squares of the H-H dipolar couplings, as determined using H-H distances from the crystal structure up to 4 Å. Small differences in the (1) H DQ build-up behaviour for the two polymorphs are attributed to differences in the longer-range NH-OH distances associated with different inter-layer arrangements., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

We recently noted [R. K. Harris, P. Hodgkinson, V. Zorin, J.-N. Dumez, B. Elena, L. Emsley, E. Salager, and R. Stein, Magn. Reson. Chem. 48, S103 (2010)] anomalous shifts in apparent (1)H chemical shifts in experiments using (1)H homonuclear decoupling sequences to acquire high-resolution (1)H NMR spectra for organic solids under magic-angle spinning (MAS). Analogous effects were also observed in numerical simulations of model (13)C,(1)H spin systems under homonuclear decoupling and involving large (13)C,(1)H dipolar couplings. While the heteronuclear coupling is generally assumed to be efficiently suppressed by sample spinning at the magic angle, we show that under conditions typically used in solid-state NMR, there is a significant third-order cross-term from this coupling under the conditions of simultaneous MAS and homonuclear decoupling for spins directly bonded to (1)H. This term, which is of the order of 100 Hz under typical conditions, explains the anomalous behaviour observed on both (1)H and (13)C spins, including the fast dephasing observed in (13)C{(1)H} heteronuclear spin-echo experiments under (1)H homonuclear decoupling. Strategies for minimising the impact of this effect are also discussed.

This article reviews the large increase in applications of high-resolution (1)H magic-angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR, in particular two-dimensional heteronuclear and homonuclear (double-quantum and spin-diffusion NOESY-like exchange) experiments, in the last five years. These applications benefit from faster MAS frequencies (up to 80 kHz), higher magnetic fields (up to 1 GHz) and pulse sequence developments (e.g., homonuclear decoupling sequences applicable under moderate and fast MAS). (1)H solid-state NMR techniques are shown to provide unique structural insight for a diverse range of systems including pharmaceuticals, self-assembled supramolecular structures and silica-based inorganic-organic materials, such as microporous and mesoporous materials and heterogeneous organometallic catalysts, for which single-crystal diffraction structures cannot be obtained. The power of NMR crystallography approaches that combine experiment with first-principles calculations of NMR parameters (notably using the GIPAW approach) are demonstrated, e.g., to yield quantitative insight into hydrogen-bonding and aromatic CH-π interactions, as well as to generate trial three-dimensional packing arrangements. It is shown how temperature-dependent changes in the (1)H chemical shift, linewidth and DQ-filtered signal intensity can be analysed to determine the thermodynamics and kinetics of molecular level processes, such as the making and breaking of hydrogen bonds, with particular application to proton-conducting materials. Other applications to polymers and biopolymers, inorganic compounds and bioinorganic systems, paramagnetic compounds and proteins are presented. The potential of new technological advances such as DNP methods and new microcoil designs is described., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

By means of the (1)H chemical shifts and the proton-proton proximities as identified in (1)H double-quantum (DQ) combined rotation and multiple-pulse spectroscopy (CRAMPS) solid-state NMR correlation spectra, ribbon-like and quartet-like self-assembly can be identified for guanosine derivatives without isotopic labeling for which it was not possible to obtain single crystals suitable for diffraction. Specifically, characteristic spectral fingerprints are observed for dG(C10)(2) and dG(C3)(2) derivatives, for which quartet-like and ribbon-like self-assembly has been unambiguously identified by (15)N refocused INADEQUATE spectra in a previous study of (15)N-labeled derivatives (Pham, T. N.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc.2005, 127, 16018). The NH (1)H chemical shift is observed to be higher (13-15 ppm) for ribbon-like self-assembly as compared to 10-11 ppm for a quartet-like arrangement, corresponding to a change from NH···N to NH···O intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The order of the two NH(2)(1)H chemical shifts is also inverted, with the NH(2) proton closest in space to the NH proton having a higher or lower (1)H chemical shift than that of the other NH(2) proton for ribbon-like as opposed to quartet-like self-assembly. For the dG(C3)(2) derivative for which a single-crystal diffraction structure is available, the distinct resonances and DQ peaks are assigned by means of gauge-including projector-augmented wave (GIPAW) chemical shift calculations. In addition, (14)N-(1)H correlation spectra obtained at 850 MHz under fast (60 kHz) magic-angle spinning (MAS) confirm the assignment of the NH and NH(2) chemical shifts for the dG(C3)(2) derivative and allow longer range through-space N···H proximities to be identified, notably to the N7 nitrogens on the opposite hydrogen-bonding face., (© 2011 American Chemical Society)

A new spinning-angle-encoding spin-echo solid-state NMR approach is used to accurately determine the dipolar coupling corresponding to a C-C distance over 4 Å in a fully labelled dipeptide. The dipolar coupling dependent spin-echo modulation was recorded off magic angle, switching back to the magic angle for the acquisition of the free-induction decay, so as to obtain optimum sensitivity. The retention of both ideal resolution and long-range distance sensitivity was achieved by redesigning a 600 MHz HX MAS NMR probe to provide fast angle switching during the NMR experiment: for 1.8 mm rotors, angle changes of up to ∼5° in ∼10 ms were achieved at 12 kHz MAS. A new experimental design that combines a reference and a dipolar-modulated experiment and a master-curve approach to data interpretation is presented.

Two-dimensional (2D) variations in (2)J(P(1),P(1)), (2)J(P(1),P(2)), and (2)J(P(2),P(2)) are obtained--using the REINE (REfocused INADEQUATE spin-Echo) pulse sequence presented by Cadars et al. (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2007, 9, 92-103)--from pixel-by-pixel fittings of the spin-echo modulation for the 2D correlation peaks due to linked phosphate tetrahedra (P(1)-P(1), P(1)-P(2), P(2)-P(1), and P(2)-P(2)) in a (31)P refocused INADEQUATE solid-state MAS NMR spectrum of a cadmium phosphate glass, 0.575CdO-0.425P(2)O(5). In particular, separate variations for each 2D (31)P REINE peak are obtained which reveal correlations between the J couplings and the (31)P chemical shifts of the coupled nuclei that are much clearer than those evident in previously presented 2D z-filtered (31)P spin-echo spectra. Notably, such correlations between the J couplings and the (31)P chemical shifts are observed even though the conditional probability distributions extracted using the protocol of Cadars et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 4466-4476) indicate that there is no marked correlation between the (31)P chemical shifts of neighboring phosphate tetrahedra. For 2D peaks at the P(2) (31)P chemical shift in the direct dimension, there can be contributions from chains of three units (P(1)-P(2)-P(1)), chains of four units (P(1)-P(2)-P(2)-P(1)), or longer chains or rings (-P(2)-P(2)-P(2)-): for the representative glass considered here, best fits are obtained assuming a glass comprised predominantly of chains of four units. The following variations are found: (2)J(P(1),P(1)) = 13.4 +/- 0.3 to 14.8 +/- 0.5 Hz, (2)J(P(1),P(2)) = 15.0 +/- 0.3 to 18.2 +/- 0.3 Hz, and (2)J(P(2),P(2)) = 5.9 +/- 0.6 to 9.1 +/- 0.9 Hz from the fits to the P(1)-P(1), P(1)-P(2), and P(2)-P(2) peaks, respectively. The correlation of a particular J coupling with the (31)P chemical shifts of the considered nucleus and the coupled nucleus is quantified by the coefficients C(F(2)) and C(F(1)) that correspond to the average pixel-by-pixel change in the J coupling with respect to the chemical shift of the observed (F(2)) and neighboring (F(1)) (31)P nuclei, respectively.

A protocol is presented for correcting the effect of non-specific cross-polarization in CHHC solid-state MAS NMR experiments, thus allowing the recovery of the (1)H-(1)H magnetization exchange functions from the mixing-time dependent buildup of experimental CHHC peak intensity. The presented protocol also incorporates a scaling procedure to take into account the effect of multiplicity of a CH(2) or CH(3) moiety. Experimental CHHC buildup curves are presented for l-tyrosine.HCl samples where either all or only one in 10 molecules are U-(13)C labeled. Good agreement between experiment and 11-spin SPINEVOLUTION simulation (including only isotropic (1)H chemical shifts) is demonstrated for the initial buildup (t(mix)<100micros) of CHHC peak intensity corresponding to an intramolecular close (2.5A) H-H proximity. Differences in the initial CHHC buildup are observed between the one in 10 dilute and 100% samples for cases where there is a close intermolecular H-H proximity in addition to a close intramolecular H-H proximity. For the dilute sample, CHHC cross-peak intensities tended to significantly lower values for long mixing times (500micros) as compared to the 100% sample. This difference is explained as being due to the dependence of the limiting total magnetization on the ratio N(obs)/N(tot) between the number of protons that are directly attached to a (13)C nucleus and hence contribute significantly to the observed (13)C CHHC NMR signal, and the total number of (1)H spins into the system. (1)H-(1)H magnetization exchange curves extracted from CHHC spectra for the 100% l-tyrosine.HCl sample exhibit a clear sensitivity to the root sum squared dipolar coupling, with fast buildup being observed for the shortest intramolecular distances (2.5A) and slower, yet observable buildup for the longer intermolecular distances (up to 5A).

Using a two-dimensional multiple-quantum (MQ) double rotation (DOR) experiment the contributions of the chemical shift and quadrupolar interaction to isotropic resonance shifts can be completely separated. Spectra were acquired using a three-pulse triple-quantum z-filtered pulse sequence and subsequently sheared along both the nu(1) and nu(2) dimensions. The application of this method is demonstrated for both crystalline (RbNO(3)) and amorphous samples (vitreous B(2)O(3)). The existence of the two rubidium isotopes ((85)Rb and (87)Rb) allows comparison of results for two nuclei with different spins (I=3/2 and 5/2), as well as different dipole and quadrupole moments in a single chemical compound. Being only limited by homogeneous line broadening and sample crystallinity, linewidths of approximately 0.1 and 0.2 ppm can be measured for (87)Rb in the quadrupolar and chemical shift dimensions, enabling highly accurate determination of the isotropic chemical shift and the quadrupolar product, P(Q). For vitreous B(2)O(3), the use of MQDOR allows the chemical shift and electric field gradient distributions to be directly determined-information that is difficult to obtain otherwise due to the presence of second-order quadrupolar broadening.

A combination of techniques, including rational number synchronisation and pre-diagonalisation of the time-dependent periodic Hamiltonian, are described which allow the efficient simulation of NMR experiments involving both magic-angle spinning (MAS) and RF irradiation, particularly in the important special case of phase-modulated decoupling sequences. Chebyshev and conventional diagonalisation approaches to calculating propagators under MAS are also compared, with Chebyshev methods offering significant advantages in cases where the Hamiltonian is large and time-dependent but not block-diagonal (as is the case for problems involving combined MAS and RF). The ability to simulate extended coupled spin systems efficiently allows 1H spectra under homonuclear decoupling to be calculated directly and compared to experimental results. Reasonable agreement is found for the conditions under which homonuclear decoupling is typically applied for rigid solids (although the increasing deviation of experimental results from the predictions of theory and simulation at higher RF powers is still unexplained). Numerical simulations are used to explore three features of these experiments: the interaction between the magic-angle spinning and RF decoupling, the effects of tilt pulses in acquisition windows and the effects of "phase propagation delays" on tilted axis precession. In each case, the results reveal features that are not readily anticipated by previous analytical studies and shed light on previous empirical observations.

The direct detection of hydroxyl oxygen (O-H) by (17)O double-rotation (DOR) NMR is very challenging because of the strong O-H dipole interaction. It is shown that deuteration of the hydroxyl site overcomes this using glycine.HCl as an illustration. Two well-separated sets of narrow (linewidth approximately 80-100 Hz) resonances with their spinning-sidebands are observed for the carboxyl and hydroxyl oxygens in the DOR spectrum of [(17)O,(2)H]glycine.HCl. The chemical shift anisotropy of these sites is obtained from a simulation of the DOR spinning-sideband intensities. The chemical shift span (Omega) for the carboxyl oxygen is found to be much larger than that of the hydroxyl oxygen, with Omega values of 540 +/- 15 and 210 +/- 10 ppm, respectively., (2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd)

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.

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.

A study of a host-guest system consisting of a naphthalene-spaced tweezer with a 1,4 dicyanobenzene guest molecule is presented. The complex is investigated using a combination of quantum-chemical calculations and solid-state NMR experiments. The advantages of such an approach are illustrated. The focus is on the calculation of (1) 1H NMR and (2) 13C NMR chemical shifts for model fragments of the solid-state structure, (3) the analysis of host-guest interactions important for molecular recognition, and (4) the investigation of the process of a guest molecule rotation. For modeling the solid-state structure, up to three host-guest units are considered and the convergence with respect to the size of the solid-state fragment is investigated.

A new two-dimensional heteronuclear multiple-quantum magic-angle spinning (MQ MAS) experiment is presented which combines high resolution for the half-integer quadrupolar nucleus with information about the dipolar coupling between the quadrupolar nucleus and a spin I=1/2 nucleus. Homonuclear MQ coherence is initially created for the half-integer quadrupolar nucleus by a single pulse as in a standard MQ MAS experiment. REDOR recoupling of the heteronuclear dipolar coupling then allows the creation of a heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence comprising multiple- and single-quantum coherence of the quadrupolar and spin I=1/2 nucleus, respectively, which evolves during t1. Provided that the t1 increment is not rotor synchronized, rotor-encoded spinning-sideband patterns are observed in the indirect dimension. Simulated spectra for an isolated IS spin pair show that these patterns depend on the recoupling time, the magnitude of the dipolar coupling, the quadrupolar parameters, as well as the relative orientation of the quadrupolar and dipolar principal axes systems. Spectra are presented for Na2HPO4, with the heteronuclear 23Na-1HMQ MAS experiments beginning with the excitation of 23Na (spin I=3/2) three-quantum coherence. Coherence counting experiments demonstrate that four- and two-quantum coherences evolve during t1. The heteronuclear spinning-sideband patterns observed for the three-spin H-Na-H system associated with the Na(2) site are analyzed. For an IS2 system, simulated spectra show that, considering the free parameters, the spinning-sideband patterns are particularly sensitive to only, first, the angle between the two IS internuclear vectors and, second, the two heteronuclear dipolar couplings. It is demonstrated that the proton localization around the Na(2) site according to the literature crystal structure of Na2HPO4 is erroneous. Instead, the experimental data is consistent with two alternative different structural arrangements, whereby either there is a deviation of 10 degrees from linearity for the case of two identical Na-H distances, or there is a linear arrangement, but the two Na-H distances are different. Furthermore, the question of the origin of spinning-sidebands in the (homonuclear) MQ MAS experiment is revisited. It is shown that the asymmetric experimental MQ sideband pattern observed for the low-C(Q) Na(2) site in Na(2)HPO4 can only be explained by considering the 23Na chemical shift anisotropy.

We present a quantum chemical ab initio study which demonstrates a new combined experimental and theoretical approach, whereby a comparison of calculated and experimental (1)H NMR chemical shifts allows the elucidation of structural arrangements in solid-state molecular ensembles, taking advantage of the marked sensitivity of the (1)H chemical shift to intermolecular interactions. Recently, Brown et al. have shown that, under fast magic-angle spinning (MAS) at 35 kHz, the resolution in a (1)H NMR spectrum of the solid phase of an alkyl-substituted hexabenzocoronene (HBC) derivative is sufficient to observe the hitherto unexpected resolution of three distinct aromatic resonances ( J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 6712). Exploiting the additional information about proton proximities provided by (1)H double-quantum (DQ) MAS NMR spectroscopy, it was shown that the results are qualitatively consistent with the aromatic cores packing in a manner similar to that in unsubstituted HBC. Using the HBC-C(12) molecule as an example, we show here that the new combined experimental and theoretical approach allows the observed (1)H chemical shifts to be related in a quantitative manner to the intermolecular structure. In the quantum chemical calculations, a series of model systems of stacked HBC oligomers are used. On account of the marked dependence of the (1)H chemical shift to ring currents arising from nearby aromatic rings, the calculated (1)H chemical shifts are found to be very sensitive to the stacking arrangement of the HBC molecules. Moreover, the ring current effect is found to be particularly long range, with a considerable influence of the second neighbor, at a distance of 700 pm, being observed.