Two-dimensional NMR experiments

The amount of computation necessary to try many conformers can be greatly reduced if a portion of the structure is known. One way to determine a portion of the structure experimentally is to obtain some of the internuclear distances from two-dimensional NMR experiments, as predicted by the nuclear Over-hauser effect (NOE). Once a set of distances are determined, they can be used as constraints within a conformation search. This has been particularly effective for predicting protein structure since it is very difficult to obtain crystallographic structures of proteins. It is also possible to define distance constraints based on the average bond lengths and angles, if we assume these are fairly rigid while all conformations are accessible. 

Figure 3.1 The various time periods in a two-dimensional NMR experiment. Nuclei are allowed to approach a state of thermal equilibrium during the preparation period before the first pulse is applied. This pulse disturbs the equilibrium ptolariza-tion state established during the preparation period, and during the subsequent evolution period the nuclei may be subjected to the influence of other, neighboring spins. If the amplitudes of the nuclei are modulated by the chemical shifts of the nuclei to which they are coupled, 2D-shift-correlated spectra are obtained. On the other hand, if their amplitudes are modulated by the coupling frequencies, then 2D /-resolved spectra result. The evolution period may be followed by a mixing period A, as in Nuclear Overhauser Enhancement Spectroscopy (NOESY) or 2D exchange spectra. The mixing period is followed by the second evolution (detection) period) ij.

Table II presents H-NMR data of the hasubanan alkaloids obtained since 1976. During the period 1976-1986, the application of H-NMR spectroscopy was accelerated together with the improvement of measuring instruments. NOE, INDOR, and two-dimensional NMR experiments (7) have been undertaken to resolve the question of stereochemistry at the chiral centers.

GC analyses of the pupal secretion of E. borealis have indicated the presence of vitamin E acetate and other tocopherol derivatives [49,50]. However, in tests with ants, these compounds proved to be essentially inactive, whereas the secretion itself was potently deterrent. To find and identify the active components in the pupal Epilachna borealis secretion, NMR spectroscopic studies on the fresh secretion were carried out. One and two-dimensional NMR experiments revealed that the tocopheryl acetates account for only a relatively small percentage of the beetles5 total secretion (20%), whereas the major components represented a group of previously undetected compounds. By analysis of the COSY, HSQC and HMBC spectra of the mixture, these components were shown to be esters and amides derived from three (co-l)-(2-hydroxyethylamino)alka-noic acids 44-46. HPLC analyses coupled to a mass spectrometric detector revealed that the secretion contain a highly diverse mixture of macrocyclic polyamines, the polyazamacrolides (PAMLs) 47-52 (Fig. 8). 

In many cases, the analytical tasks are simply to detect and quantify a specific known analyte. Examples include the detection and quantification of commonly used buffer components (e.g., Tris, acetate, citrate, MES, propylene glycol, etc.). These simple tasks can readily be accomplished by using a standard one-dimensional NMR method. In other situations, the analytical tasks may involve identifying unknown compounds. This type of task usually requires homonuclear and heteronuclear two-dimensional NMR experiments, such as COSY, TOCSY, NOESY, HSQC, HMBC, etc. The identification of unknown molecules may also require additional information from other analytical methods, such as mass spectrometry, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and IR spectroscopy.14... 

The most important two-dimensional NMR experiments for solving stmctural problems are COSY (Correlation SpectroscopY), NOESY (Nuclear Overhauser Enhancement SpectroscopY), HSC (Heteronuclear Shift Correlation) and TOCSY (Total Correlation SpectroscopY). Most modem high-held NMR spectrometers have the capability to routinely and automatically acquire COSY, NOESY, HSC and TOCSY spectra. 

With current commercially available equipment the ideal set-up for online analysis would be an HPLC-SPE system, a cryogenic flow probe (30 p,l active volume) that is in permanent use within an actively shielded magnet operating at 500 MHz or higher. The system would offer the optimum LC-NMR sensitivity (no dependency on LC peak volumes), and complex impurities as low as 0.1% could be identified by one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments, provided that the impurities are sufficiently stable to permit isolation on the SPE cartridges,... 

The development of carbon-13 NMR during the last eight years has been characterized by a continual increase in the sensitivity and quality of spectra. A reduction in measuring time - equivalent to an enhancement in sensitivity has been achieved mainly by cryomagnet technology. The efficiency with which NMR information can be obtained has been substantially improved by new computer-controllable pulse sequences for one-and two-dimensional NMR experiments. A selection of these new methods, in particular, those used for multiplicity analysis and homo- or heteronuclear shift correlations, is presented in chapter 2 of this edition. 

NMR spectroscopy has proven to be an invaluable tool in structure determination of hydrogenated fullerenes ever since the first synthesis of C60H36 (Haufler et al. 1990) and the first structure determination by NMR was reported for C60H2 by Henderson and Cahill in 1993 (Henderson and Cahill 1993). Today, a multitude of both one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments are available for this purpose. Recent developments in NMR technology with higher magnetic field strengths and cryoprobes have dramatically increased the sensitivity and improved the usefulness of NMR in this field even further. 

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