Proton spin-lattice relaxation rate conformations

The proton spin-lattice relaxation-rate (R,) is a well established, nuclear magnetic resonance (n.m.r.) parameter for structural, configurational, and conformational analysis of organic molecules in solution. " As yet, however, its utility has received little attention in the field of carbohydrate chemistry,... 

The significance of n.m.r. spectroscopy for structural elucidation of carbohydrates can scarcely be underestimated, and the field has become vast with ramifications of specialized techniques. Although chemical shifts and spin couplings of individual nuclei constitute the primary data for most n.m.r.-spectral analyses, other n.m.r. parameters may provide important additional data. P. Dais and A. S. Perlin (Montreal) here discuss the measurement of proton spin-lattice relaxation rates. The authors present the basic theory concerning spin-lattice relaxation, explain how reliable data may be determined, and demonstrate how these rates can be correlated with stereospecific dependencies, especially regarding the estimation of interproton distances and the implications of these values in the interpretation of sugar conformations. 

Strong evidence of the dominant Influence of molecular conformation on the properties of coals Is Implicit In the several data sets which show an extremum In the measured property when plotted against carbon rank. Examples are the extrema which occur In the solid state properties of mass density (22,23) and proton spin-lattice relaxation rate (24) as well as In solvent swelling and extractablllty ( ). 

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