Hyperfine coupling electron nuclear double resonance

Since the phenoxyls possess an S = ground state, they have been carefully studied by electron paramagnetic spectroscopy (EPR) and related techniques such as electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR), and electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM). These powerful and very sensitive techniques are ideally suited to study the occurrence of tyrosyl radicals in a protein matrix (1, 27-30). Careful analysis of the experimental data (hyperfine coupling constants) provides experimental spin densities at a high level of precision and, in addition, the positions of these tyrosyls relative to other neighboring groups in the protein matrix. 

Electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy A magnetic resonance spectroscopic technique for the determination of hyperfine interactions between electrons and nuclear spins. There are two principal techniques. In continuous-wave ENDOR the intensity of an electron paramagnetic resonance signal, partially saturated with microwave power, is measured as radio frequency is applied. In pulsed ENDOR the radio frequency is applied as pulses and the EPR signal is detected as a spin-echo. In each case an enhancement of the EPR signal is observed when the radiofrequency is in resonance with the coupled nuclei. 

The low-temperature EPR experiments used to determine the DNA ion radical distribution make it very clear that electron and hole transfer occurs after the initial random ionization. What then determines the final trapping sites of the initial ionization events To determine the final trapping sites, one must determine the protonation states of the radicals. This cannot be done in an ordinary EPR experiment since the small hyperfine couplings of the radicals only contribute to the EPR linewidth. However, detailed low-temperature EPR/ENDOR (electron nuclear double resonance) experiments can be used to determine the protonation states of the low-temperature products [17]. These proto-nation/deprotonation reactions are readily observed in irradiated single crystals of the DNA base constituents. The results of these experiments are that the positively charged radical cations tend to deprotonate and the negatively charged radical anions tend to protonate. 

The ENDOR technique refers to electron-nuclear double resonance. This consists of the effect on a partially saturated ESR line of simultaneously irradiating the sample with a radiofrequency to induce nuclear resonance transitions of hyperfine coupled nuclei. It may enable one to obtain information about signs of coupling constants. ELDOR is the technique corresponding to electron-electron double resonance. Such techniques, coupled with TRIPLE resonance, have been utilized and well described in a discussion of pyridine and 4,4-bipyridyl radical anion ESR spectra measured in sodium/liquid ammonia (80JMR<41)17). 

Deuterium quadrupole coupling constants can also be obtained from electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR).19 30 An observation of the hyperfine structure caused by quadrupole coupling in the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum, as for many lanthanide complexes, has not been reported for deuterium. The determination of nuclear quadrupole coupling constants from Mossbauer spectroscopy is not applicable to the deuterium nucleus. 

ENDOR = electron nuclear double resonance EPR = electron-paramagnetic resonance ESR = electron-spin resonance NMR = nuclear magnetic resonance MA = modulation amplitude SOFT = second-order perturbation theory s-o = spin-orbit zfs = zero-field splitting (for S > 1/2) D = uniaxial zfs E = rhombic zfs g =. g-factor with principal components g, gy, and g ge = free electron g-factor a = hyperfine splitting constant A = hyperfine coupling constant for a given nucleus N (nuclear spin / > 0). 

Electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) studies of PFL-AE complexed to specifically isotopically labeled AdoMets has revealed the details of the interaction between AdoMet and the cluster in this enzyme. Deuterium ENDOR spectra of PFL-AE in the [4Fe-4S]" state complexed with methyl-D2-AdoMet showed a pair of peaks centered at the deuteron Larmor frequency and split by the hyperfine coupling to the spin of the cluster. Examination of the field-dependence of the coupling showed that it was dipolar in nature, and gave an estimation of the... 

There are also pulse EPR methods that probe the chemical or rather magnetic environment. These are pulse electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) and hyperfine sublevel correlation (HYSCORE) spectroscopy, which allow measuring hyperfine couplings from the unpaired electron spin to surrounding magnetically active nuclei ([20] in Fig. 3 this is a P nucleus). As these experiments are performed in frozen solution (e.g., in all examples of this chapter) or in solids, from the anisotropy and orientation dependence of the hyperfine coupling one can obtain valuable information on the structure up to 1 nm. 

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy [1-3] is the most selective, best resolved, and a highly sensitive spectroscopy for the characterization of species that contain unpaired electrons. After the first experiments by Zavoisky in 1944 [4] mainly continuous-wave (CW) techniques in the X-band frequency range (9-10 GHz) were developed and applied to organic free radicals, transition metal complexes, and rare earth ions. Many of these applications were related to reaction mechanisms and catalysis, as species with unpaired electrons are inherently unstable and thus reactive. This period culminated in the 1970s, when CW EPR had become a routine technique in these fields. The best resolution for the hyperfine couplings between the unaired electron and nuclei in the vicinity was obtained with CW electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) techniques [5]. 

Hyperfine splitting due to interaction with ligand nuclei with 7 > 0 reflects the extent of spin delocalization onto neighboring atoms and can be used to characterize the types and numbers of such nuclei. In cases where these couplings are too small to be resolved in the EPR spectra, electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) or electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) can be used to measure the couplings as discussed in Chapter 2.3. Modern calculational tools are approaching the capabilities required to calculate g and A values from electronic wave functions. However, much of the spectroscopy that has been performed to date has used empirical correlations to interpret g and A values. 

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