79/81Br nuclear quadrupole resonance spectroscopic characterization of halogen bonds in supramolecular assemblies.

Despite the applicability of solid-state NMR to study the halogen bond, the direct NMR detection of 79/81Br covalently bonded to carbon remains impractical due to extremely large spectral widths, even at ultra-high magnetic fields. In contrast, nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) offers comparatively sharp resonances. Here, we demonstrate the abilities of 79/81Br NQR to characterize the electronic changes in the C-Br···N halogen bonding motifs found in supramolecular assemblies constructed from 1,4-dibromotetrafluorobenzene and nitrogen-containing heterocycles. An increase in the bromine quadrupolar coupling constant is observed, which correlates linearly with the halogen bond distance (dBr···N). Notably, 79/81Br NQR is able to distinguish between two symmetry-independent halogen bonds in the same crystal structure. This approach offers a rapid and reliable indication for the occurrence of a halogen bond, with experimental times limited only by the observation of 79/81Br NQR resonances.

Superfluorinated and NIR-luminescent gold nanoclusters.

A novel class of superfluorinated and NIR-luminescent gold nanoclusters were obtained starting from a branched thiol, bearing 27 equivalent 19F atoms per molecule. These unprecedented clusters combine in a unique nanosystem both NIR photoluminescence and 19F NMR properties, thus representing a promising multimodal platform for bioimaging applications.

Ca(BH4)2-Mg2NiH4: on the pathway to a Ca(BH4)2 system with a reversible hydrogen cycle.

The Ca(BH4)2-Mg2NiH4 system presented here is, to the best of our knowledge, the first described Ca(BH4)2-based hydride composite that reversibly transfers boron from the Ca-based compound(s) to the reaction partner. The ternary boride MgNi2.5B2 is formed upon dehydrogenation and the formation of Ca(BH4)2 upon rehydrogenation is confirmed.

Solid-state and unilateral NMR study of deterioration of a Dead Sea Scroll fragment.

Unilateral and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses were performed on a parchment fragment of the Dead Sea Scroll (DSS). The analyzed sample belongs to the collection of non-inscribed and nontreated fragments of known archaeological provenance from the John Rylands University Library in Manchester. Therefore, it can be considered as original DSS material free from any contamination related to the post-discovery period. Considering the paramount significance of the DSS, noninvasive approaches and portable in situ nondestructive methods are of fundamental importance for the determination of composition, structure, and chemical-physical properties of the materials under study. NMR studies reveal low amounts of water content associated with very short proton relaxation times, T(1), indicating a high level of deterioration of collagen molecules within scroll fragments. In addition, (13)C cross-polarization magic-angle-spinning (CPMAS) NMR spectroscopy shows characteristic peaks of lipids whose presence we attribute to the production technology that did not involve liming. Extraction with chloroform led to the reduction of both lipid and protein signals in the (13)C CPMAS spectrum indicating probable involvement of lipids in parchment degradation processes. NMR absorption and relaxation measurements provide nondestructive, discriminative, and sensitive tools for studying the deterioration effects on the organization and properties of water and collagen within ancient manuscripts.

Didanosine polymorphism in a supercritical antisolvent process.

Solid-state properties of active ingredients are crucial in pharmaceutical development owing to their significant clinical and economical implications. In the present work we investigated the solid-state properties and the solubility in water of didanosine, DDI, re-crystallized from a dimethylsulfoxide solution using supercritical CO(2) as an antisolvent (SAS process) for comparison with the commercially available drug product. We also applied modern solid-state NMR (SS NMR) techniques, namely 2D (1)H DQ CRAMPS (Combined Rotation And Multiple Pulse Spectroscopy) and (1)H-(13)C on- and off-resonance CP (cross polarization) FSLG-HETCOR experiments, known for providing reliable information about (1)H-(1)H and (1)H-(13)C intra- and intermolecular proximities, in order to address polymorphism issues arising from the crystallization of a new form in the supercritical process. A new polymorph of didanosine was obtained from the supercritical antisolvent process and characterized by means of 1D and 2D multinuclear ((1)H, (13)C, (15)N) SS NMR. The particle size of the new crystal phase was reduced by varying the antisolvent density through a pressure increase. The structural differences between the commercial product and the SAS re-crystallized DDI are highlighted by X-ray diffractometry and well described by solid-state NMR. The carbon C6 (13)C chemical shift suggests that both commercial and re-crystallized didanosine samples are in the enol form. The analysis of homo- and heteronuclear proximities obtained by means of 2D NMR experiments shows that commercial and SAS re-crystallized DDI possess very similar molecular conformation and hydrogen bond network, but different packing. The new polymorph proved to be a metastable form at ambient conditions, showing higher solubility in water and lower stability to mechanical stress.