Gleb S. Denisov

NUCLEAR SCALAR SPIN - SPIN COUPLING REVEALS NOVEL PROPERTIES OF LOW-BARRIER HYDROGEN BONDS IN A POLAR ENVIRONMENT

The structure of the hydrogen bridge 19 F· ·· 1 H· ·· 15 N in the acid - base complex A ··· H ··· B formed by HF and ( 15 N)2,4,6-trimethylpyridine in CDF3/ CDF2Cl has been studied between 112 K and 200 K by low-temperature, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. For the first time scalar spin - spin coupling between all three nuclei of a hydrogen bridge is observed. This bridge exhibits a two-bond coupling constant 2 J19F15N of about 96 Hz, which is larger than the one-bond coupling constants 1 J1H15N and 1 J19F1H. The latter are strongly dependent on temperature. The function 1 J1H15Na f( 1 J19F1H) cannot be described in terms of a conventional equilibrium between the molecular and the zwitterionic form, but only with the intermediate forma- tion of very strongly hydrogen-bonded complexes of the type A dˇ ··· H· ·· B da that exhibit a vanishing or very small barrier for the proton motion. Here, the difference between the covalent bond and the hydrogen bond disappears even in the case of a polar solvents, as indicated by the large value of 2 J19F15N. Implications for the mechanism of pro- ton transfer and of acid - base catalyzed enzyme reactions in a locally aprotic but polar environment are discussed.

Hydrogen bonds and proton transfer in general-catalytic transition-state stabilization in enzyme catalysis.

The question of the nature of the proton bridge involved in general acid-base catalysis in both enzymic and non-enzymic systems is considered in the light of long-known but insufficiently appreciated work of Jencks and his coworkers and of more recent results from neutron-diffraction crystallography and NMR spectroscopic studies, as well as results from isotope-effect investigations. These lines of inquiry lead toward the view that the bridging proton, when between electronegative atoms, is in a stable potential at the transition state, not participating strongly in the reaction-coordinate motion. Furthermore they suggest that bond order is well-conserved at unity for bridging protons, and give rough estimates of the degree to which the proton will respond to structural changes in its bonding partners. Thus if a center involved in general-catalytic bridging becomes more basic, the proton is expected to move toward it while maintaining a unit total bond order. For a unit increase in the pK of a bridging partner, the other partner is expected to acquire about 0.06 units of negative charge. The implications are considered for charge distribution in enzymic transition states as the basicity of catalytic residues changes in the course of molecular evolution or during progress along a catalytic pathway.

H/D isotope effects on the low-temperature NMR parameters and hydrogen bond geometries of (FH)2F− and (FH)3F− dissolved in CDF3/CDF2Cl

Using liquid state 1H, 2H and 19F NMR spectroscopy in the temperature range 110–130 K we have studied the hydrogen-bonded anions (FH)2F− and (FH)3F− and their partially and fully deuterated analogs dissolved in the low-freezing freon mixture CDF3/CDF2Cl, in the presence of (C4H9)4N+ as the counter cation. The spin multiplets of the three isotopologs HH, HD, DD of (FH)2F−, and of the four isotopologs HHH, HHD, HDD, DDD of (FH)3F− have been resolved and assigned. Thus, we were able to determine the zero-, one- and two-bond H/D isotope effects on the hydrogen and fluorine NMR chemical shifts as well as isotope effects on the scalar spin–spin hydrogen–fluorine and fluorine–fluorine coupling constants. Using the valence bond order model these NMR data are related to H/D isotope effects on the hydrogen bond geometries. A semi-quantitative interpretation of the observed long range isotope effects is proposed in terms of an anti-cooperative coupling between the hydrogen bonds within each anion. The experimental data can be rationalized in terms of an empirical NMR isotope sum rule, which is analogous to a similar rule for the vibrational frequencies.

A review with comprehensive data on experimental indirect scalar NMR spin-spin coupling constants across hydrogen bonds

Scalar NMR spin–spin coupling constants across hydrogen bonds are fundamental in structural studies and as test grounds for theoretical calculations. Since they are scattered among many articles of different kinds, it seems useful to collect them in the most comprehensive way. Copyright

Localization and moving of a proton inside hydrogen-bonded complexes in aprotic solvents

Abstract The results of the study of a number of molecular and ionic H-bonded complexes in freon solutions by 1 H NMR at 100–150 K are reported. It is shown that under these conditions the signals of OH(NH) protons belonging to various complexes, self-associates and free molecules are observed separately. The spin-spin coupling of the signals is frequently discernible. The fine structure makes it possible to distinguish between complexes with fast proton migration between two wells on the potential surface and those with the proton localized in one well (in particular, the central one). Several complexes with slow (in the NMR scale) proton migration have also been found. The results of the study of the non-catalytic proton exchange kinetics between various molecules containing OH and NH groups in dilute solutions in aprotic solvents are considered. The exchange between the RCOOH and ROH molecules goes on via the intermediate formation of a cyclic ionic pair with two equivalent H-bonds even in non-polar solvents such as cyclohexane. For exchange between two RCOOH or ROH molecules a synchronous transfer of two protons in a cyclic molecular complex is likely.

Study of mutual influence of hydrogen bonds in complicated complexes by low-temperature 1H NMR spectroscopy

Abstract 1 H NMR spectra of various acid-base complexes of different stoichiometry at 100–120K in freon mixtures have been obtained. The separate signals of non-equivalent OH-protons, involved in different H-bonds, have allowed us to consider the problem of the mutual influence of these bonds, using a correlation between the δ OH chemical shift and the AΔ H H-bond enthalpy. The mutual strengthening of H-bonds in complexes of the AH⋯AH⋯B type and their weakening in AH⋯B⋯HA complexes have been found, the value of the effect being about 10–30%

Symmetrization of Cationic Hydrogen Bridges of Protonated Sponges Induced by Solvent and Counteranion Interactions as Revealed by NMR Spectroscopy

The properties of the intramolecular hydrogen bonds of doubly (15)N-labeled protonated sponges of the 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMANH(+)) type have been studied as a function of the solvent, counteranion, and temperature using low-temperature NMR spectroscopy. Information about the hydrogen-bond symmetries was obtained by the analysis of the chemical shifts delta(H) and delta(N) and the scalar coupling constants J(N,N), J(N,H), J(H,N) of the (15)NH(15)N hydrogen bonds. Whereas the individual couplings J(N,H) and J(H,N) were averaged by a fast intramolecular proton tautomerism between two forms, it is shown that the sum |J(N,H)+J(H,N)| generally represents a measure of the hydrogen-bond strength in a similar way to delta(H) and J(N,N). The NMR spectroscopic parameters of DMANH(+) and of 4-nitro-DMANH(+) are independent of the anion in the case of CD(3)CN, which indicates ion-pair dissociation in this solvent. By contrast, studies using CD(2)Cl(2), [D(8)]toluene as well as the freon mixture CDF(3)/CDF(2)Cl, which is liquid down to 100 K, revealed an influence of temperature and of the counteranions. Whereas a small counteranion such as trifluoroacetate perturbed the hydrogen bond, the large noncoordinating anion tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate B[{C(6)H(3)(CF(3))(2)}(4)](-) (BARF(-)), which exhibits a delocalized charge, made the hydrogen bond more symmetric. Lowering the temperature led to a similar symmetrization, an effect that is discussed in terms of solvent ordering at low temperature and differential solvent order/disorder at high temperatures. By contrast, toluene molecules that are ordered around the cation led to typical high-field shifts of the hydrogen-bonded proton as well as of those bound to carbon, an effect that is absent in the case of neutral NHN chelates.

Effect of intermolecular hydrogen bonding and proton transfer on fluorescence of salicylic acid

Abstract Effects of intermolecular interactions, in particular the influence of intermolecular hydrogen bonds formed by salicylic acid (SA) as a proton donor with proton acceptors of different strength, on fluorescence spectra of SA in non-aqueous solutions have been investigated. Infrared spectra of studied systems have been analyzed in order to elucidate the ground state structure of the complexes formed. It has been found that at the room temperature in dilute solutions in non-polar or slightly polar aprotic solvents, where the SA molecule is not involved in intermolecular hydrogen bonding, the position of the main (blue) fluorescence component is determined by the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) in the lowest singlet excited state S 1 . With increasing proton acceptor ability of the environment, when formation of weak or middle strength intermolecular H-bonds is possible, the emission band shifts gradually to lower frequency, the quantum yield falls and poorly resolved doublet structure becomes more pronounced, especially in the solvents containing heavy bromine atoms. As a possible reason for these effects, coupling between the S 1 and closely lying triplet term is considered. With the strongest proton acceptors like aliphatic amines, intermolecular proton transfer with ionic pair formation in the ground state and double (intra- and intermolecular) proton transfer in the excited state take place, resulting in a blue shift of the emission band. Similar emission is typical for the SA anion in aqueous solutions. The p K a value of SA in S 1 state has been found to be 3.1. Such a small value can be explained taking into account the ESIPT reaction following the excitation. The SA complex with pyridine exhibits emission spectrum containing both molecular-like and anion-like bands with relative intensities strongly dependent on the temperature and solvent properties. The most probable origin of this dual emission is the molecular-ionic tautomerism caused by the existence of two potential minima and reversible intermolecular proton transfer in the excited state.

Geometries and tautomerism of OHN hydrogen bonds in aprotic solution probed by H/D isotope effects on (13)C NMR chemical shifts.

The (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra of 17 OHN hydrogen-bonded complexes formed by CH(3)(13)COOH(D) with 14 substituted pyridines, 2 amines, and N-methylimidazole have been measured in the temperature region between 110 and 150 K using CDF(3)/CDF(2)Cl mixture as solvent. The slow proton and hydrogen bond exchange regime was reached, and the H/D isotope effects on the (13)C chemical shifts of the carboxyl group were measured. In combination with the analysis of the corresponding (1)H chemical shifts, it was possible to distinguish between OHN hydrogen bonds exhibiting a single proton position and those exhibiting a fast proton tautomerism between molecular and zwitterionic forms. Using H-bond correlations, we relate the H/D isotope effects on the (13)C chemical shifts of the carboxyl group with the OHN hydrogen bond geometries.

Solvent and H/D Isotope Effects on the Proton Transfer Pathways in Heteroconjugated Hydrogen-Bonded Phenol-Carboxylic Acid Anions Observed by Combined UV–vis and NMR Spectroscopy

Heteroconjugated hydrogen-bonded anions A···H···X(-) of phenols (AH) and carboxylic/inorganic acids (HX) dissolved in CD2Cl2 and CDF3/CDF2Cl have been studied by combined low-temperature UV-vis and (1)H/(13)C NMR spectroscopy (UVNMR). The systems constitute small molecular models of hydrogen-bonded cofactors in proteins such as the photoactive yellow protein (PYP). Thus, the phenols studied include the PYP cofactor 4-hydroxycinnamic acid methyl thioester, and the more acidic 4-nitrophenol and 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol which mimic electronically excited cofactor states. It is shown that the (13)C chemical shifts of the phenolic residues of A···H···X(-), referenced to the corresponding values of A···H···A(-), constitute excellent probes for the average proton positions. These shifts correlate with those of the H-bonded protons, as well as with the H/D isotope effects on the (13)C chemical shifts. A combined analysis of UV-vis and NMR data was employed to elucidate the proton transfer pathways in a qualitative way. Dual absorption bands of the phenolic moiety indicate a double-well situation for the shortest OHO hydrogen bonds studied. Surprisingly, when the solvent polarity is low the carboxylates are protonated whereas the proton shifts toward the phenolic oxygens when the polarity is increased. This finding indicates that because of stronger ion-dipole interactions small anions are stabilized at high solvent polarity and large anions exhibiting delocalized charges at low solvent polarities. It also explains the large acidity difference of phenols and carboxylic acids in water, and the observation that this difference is strongly reduced in the interior of proteins when both partners form mutual hydrogen bonds.