Supermetalation of Cd-MT3 beyond the two-domain model.

The flexibility of mammalian metallothioneins (MTs) has contributed to the difficulty in obtaining structural information for this family of metalloproteins that bind divalent metals with its twenty cysteines. While the two-domain structure for Cd7MT is well-established as a Cd4S11 and Cd3S9, a third structure has been reported when 8 Cd(II) ions bind to MT1. Isoform 3 of the MT family, MT3, has been of interest to the research community since its isolation as a growth inhibitory factor isolated in brain tissue, and has since been noted as a prominent participant in the mediation of neurodegenerative diseases and regular brain development. The differences between MT3 and the other isoforms of MT include an additional hexapeptide insertion of acidic residues in the α domain as well as the introduction of two prolines in the ß domain. It is unclear whether these changes impact the metalation properties of MT3. We report the formation of a Cd8MT3 species is characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. We report that the spectroscopic properties of this supermetalated Cd8MT3 are similar to those of the supermetalated Cd8MT1, with a clear indication of changes in structure from "fully-metalated" Cd7MT3 to supermetalated Cd8MT3 from circular dichroism spectra and both 1D 113Cd and 2D 1H-113Cd HSQC NMR spectra. We conclude that the metalation properties are not impacted significantly due to the amino acid changes in MT3, and that the cysteinyl thiols are the key players in determining the capacity of metal-binding and the structure of metal-thiolate clusters.

On the Chemistry of Aqueous Ammonium Acetate Droplets during Native Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

Ammonium acetate (NH4Ac) is a widely used solvent additive in native electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. NH4Ac can undergo proton transfer to form ammonia and acetic acid (NH4+ + Ac- → NH3 + HAc). The volatility of these products ensures that electrosprayed ions are free of undesired adducts. NH4Ac dissolution in water yields pH 7, providing "physiological" conditions. However, NH4Ac is not a buffer at pH 7 because NH4+ and Ac- are not a conjugate acid/base pair (Konermann, L. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 2017, 28, 1827-1835.). In native ESI, it is desirable that analytes experience physiological conditions not only in bulk solution but also while they reside in ESI droplets. Little is known about the internal milieu of NH4Ac-containing ESI droplets. The current work explored the acid/base chemistry of such droplets, starting from a pH 7 analyte solution. We used a two-pronged approach involving evaporation experiments on bulk solutions under ESI-mimicking conditions, as well as molecular dynamics simulations using a newly developed algorithm that allows for proton transfer. Our results reveal that during droplet formation at the tip of the Taylor cone, electrolytically generated protons get neutralized by Ac-, making NH4+ the net charge carriers in the weakly acidic nascent droplets. During the subsequent evaporation, the droplets lose water as well as NH3 and HAc that were generated by proton transfer. NH3 departs more quickly because of its greater volatility, causing the accumulation of HAc. Together with residual Ac-, these HAc molecules form an acetate buffer that stabilizes the average droplet pH at 5.4 ± 0.1, as governed by the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. The remarkable success of native ESI investigations in the literature implies that this pH drop by ∼1.6 units relative to the initially neutral analyte solution can be tolerated by most biomolecular analytes on the short time scale of the ESI process.

Multicomponent Synthesis of Poly(α-aminophosphine chalcogenide)s and Subsequent Depolymerization.

Multicomponent reactions of primary phosphines (R-PH2), diimines (R'-N═C(H)-R-(H)C═N-R'), and chalcogens (O2, S8) generate poly(α-aminophosphine chalcogenide)s (4-7) through step-growth polymerization. Characterization of the linear polymers using 31P{1H} diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY) experiments aided in determining the molecular weight (Mw) of the material. Subjecting the polyphosphine oxide or sulfide to reducing conditions in the presence of a Lewis acid resulted in complete depolymerization of the polymers, quantitatively releasing the 1° phosphine and diimine (2) starting materials, with concomitant reduction of diimine to diamine (9).

In Situ Multinuclear Magic-Angle Spinning NMR: Monitoring Crystallization of Molecular Sieve AlPO4-11 in Real Time.

Molecular sieves are crystalline three-dimensional frameworks with well-defined channels and cavities. They have been widely used in industry for many applications such as gas separation/purification, ion exchange, and catalysis. Obviously, understanding the formation mechanisms is fundamentally important. High-resolution solid-state NMR spectroscopy is a powerful method for the study of molecular sieves. However, due to technical challenges, the vast majority of the high-resolution solid-state NMR studies on molecular sieve crystallization are ex situ. In the present work, using a new commercially available NMR rotor that can withhold high pressure and high temperature, we examined the formation of molecular sieve AlPO4-11 under dry gel conversion conditions by in situ multinuclear (1H, 27Al, 31P, and 13C) magic-angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR. In situ high-resolution NMR spectra obtained as a function of heating time provide much insights underlying the crystallization mechanism of AlPO4-11. Specifically, in situ 27Al and 31P MAS NMR along with 1H → 31P cross-polarization (CP) MAS NMR were used to monitor the evolution of the local environments of framework Al and P, in situ 1H → 13C CP MAS NMR to follow the behavior of the organic structure directing agent, and in situ 1H MAS NMR to unveil the effect of water content on crystallization kinetics. The in situ MAS NMR results lead to a better understanding of the formation of AlPO4-11.

Polydentate chalcogen reagents for the facile preparation of Pd2 and Pd4 complexes.

The silylated organochalcogen reagents 1,2-(Me3SiSCH2)2C6H4, and 1,2-(Me3SiSeCH2)2C6H4, were prepared from the corresponding organobromides and lithium trimethylsilanechalcogenolate Li[ESiMe3] (E = S, Se). They have been characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy ((1)H, (13)C, (77)Se) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. and react under mild conditions with (1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane)palladium(ii) chloride, [PdCl2(dppp)], to provide the dinuclear organochalcogenolate-bridged complexes [(dppp)2Pd2-µ-κ(2)S-{1,2-(SCH2)2C6H4}]X2, []X2 and [(dppp)2Pd2-µ-κ(2)Se-{1,2-(SeCH2)2C6H4}]X2, []X2 (X = Cl, Br) in good yield, respectively. Furthermore, the tetranuclear palladium complex [(dppp)4Pd4-µ-κ(4)S-{1,2,4,5-(SCH2)4C6H2}]X4, []X4 (X = Cl, Br) can be synthesized from the reaction of the tetrathiotetrasilane 1,2,4,5-(Me3SiSCH2)4C6H2, and [PdCl2(dppp)]. The structures of []X2, []X2 and []X4 were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. A variety of NMR experiments including two-dimensional homonuclear and heteronuclear correlated spectra were used to probe the solution behaviour of the dinuclear complexes in more detail. These complexes were further characterized by electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry, and for []X2 and []X2, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy.

Addressing the chemical sorcery of "GaI": benefits of solid-state analysis aiding in the synthesis of P→Ga coordination compounds.

The differing structures and reactivities of "GaI" samples prepared with different reaction times have been investigated in detail. Analysis by FT-Raman spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, (71)Ga solid-state NMR spectroscopy, and (127)I nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) provides concrete evidence for the structure of each "GaI" sample prepared. These techniques are widely accessible and can be implemented quickly and easily to identify the nature of the "GaI" in hand. The "GaI" prepared from exhaustive reaction times (100 min) is shown to possess Ga2I3 and an overall formula of [Ga(0)]2[Ga(+)]2[Ga2I6(2-)], while the "GaI" prepared with the shortest reaction time (40 min) contains GaI2 and has the overall formula [Ga(0)]2[Ga(+)][GaI4(-)]. Intermediate "GaI" samples were consistently shown to be fractionally composed of each of these two preceding formulations and no other distinguishable phases. These "GaI" phases were then shown to give unique products upon reactions with the anionic bis(phosphino)borate ligand class. The reaction of the early-phase "GaI" gives rise to a unique phosphine Ga(II) dimeric coordination compound (3), which was isolated reproducibly in 48% yield and convincingly characterized. A base-stabilized GaI→GaI3 fragment (4) was also isolated using the late-phase "GaI" and characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. These compounds can be considered unique examples of low-oxidation-state P→Ga coordination compounds and possess relatively long Ga-P bond lengths in the solid-state structures. The anionic borate backbone therefore results in interesting architectures about gallium that have not been observed with neutral phosphines.

Single domain metallothioneins: supermetalation of human MT 1a.

Metallothioneins are a family of small, cysteine rich proteins that have been implicated in a range of roles including toxic metal detoxification, protection against oxidative stress, and as metallochaperones involved in the homeostasis of both essential zinc and copper. We report that human metallothionein 1a, well-known to coordinate 7 Zn(2+) or Cd(2+) ions with 20 cysteinyl thiols, will bind 8 structurally significant Cd(2+) ions, leading to the formation of the supermetalated Cd(8)-ßα-rhMT 1a species, for which the structure is a novel single domain. ESI-mass spectrometry was used to determine the exact metalation status of the ßα-rhMT. The derivative-shaped CD envelope of Cd(7)-ßα-rhMT [peak extrema (+) 260 and (-) 239 nm] changed drastically upon formation of the Cd(8)-ßα-rhMT with the appearance of a sharp monophasic CD band centered on 252 nm, a feature indicative of the loss of cluster symmetry. The structural significance of the eighth Cd(2+) ion was determined from a combination of direct and indirect (113)Cd nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. In the case of Cd(8)-ßα-rhMT, only four peaks were observed in the direct (113)Cd NMR spectrum. Significantly, while both of the isolated domains can be supermetalated forming Cd(4)-ß-rhMT and Cd(5)-α-rhMT, Cd(8)-ßα-rhMT and not Cd(9)-ßα-rhMT was observed following addition of excess Cd(2+). We propose that both domains act in concert to coordinate the eighth Cd(2+) atom, and furthermore that this interaction results in a coalescence of the two domains leading to collapse of the two-domain structure. This is the first report of a possible single-"superdomain" metallothionein structure for Zn(2+) and Cd(2+) binding mammalian proteins. A computational model of a possible single-domain structure of Cd(8)-ßα-rhMT is described.

Supermetalation of the beta domain of human metallothionein 1a.

Metallothionein has been implicated in a number of functions, including toxic metal detoxification, as a metal chaperone and in metal ion homeostasis. In this paper, we demonstrate that the beta domain of human metallothionein 1a, well-known to bind three Zn(2+) or Cd(2+) ions with nine cysteinyl sulfurs, is also capable of binding an additional Cd(2+) ion, leading to the formation of the supermetalated Cd(4)-beta-rhMT 1a. This intermediate, either by itself or in concert with the alpha domain of human metallothionein, is a likely model for metal exchange with the apoenzyme, which is one of the key roles of metallothionein. Through electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry and circular dichroism (CD) and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, we show that the addition of 4.4 molar equiv of CdSO(4) to a solution of Cd(3)-beta-rhMT 1a leads to the complete conversion to Cd(4)-beta-rhMT 1a. ESI mass spectrometry was used to determine the exact speciation of beta-rhMT 1a. While the UV absorption spectrum increased slightly, the CD spectrum of Cd(4)-beta-rhMT 1a showed significant changes with the appearance of a sharp monophasic peak at 252 nm in contrast to the derivative-shaped envelope of the Cd(3)-beta-rhMT 1a species [peak extrema at (+)262 and (-)236 nm], indicating disruption of the exciton coupling in the metal-thiolate cluster. Additionally, both direct and indirect (113)Cd nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of the Cd(3)-beta-rhMT 1a and Cd(4)-beta-rhMT 1a species were recorded. The (113)Cd NMR spectrum of Cd(4)-beta-rhMT 1a contained four cadmium peaks in the tetrahedral thiolate region at 688.8, 650.3, 635.9, and 602.5 ppm. This represents the first report of both NMR data for isolated Cd(3)-beta-rhMT 1a and supermetalated Cd(4)-beta-rhMT 1a.

Polymorphism of potassium ferrocyanide trihydrate as studied by solid-state multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction.

The polymorphism of bulk powder samples of potassium ferrocyanide trihydrate (K(4)Fe(CN)(6).3H(2)O, KFCT) has been studied using (1)H, (13)C, and (15)N NMR spectroscopy in combination with X-ray diffraction. At room temperature, KFCT typically crystallizes in a monoclinic C2/c form, which converts irreversibly to a monoclinic Cc form upon cooling below -25 degrees C. The structure of both of these forms has been determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. A less common metastable tetragonal I4(1)/a form is also known to exist at room-temperature. This tetragonal form also converts to the monoclinic Cc form upon cooling, although this phase transition is irreversible and occurs at -60 degrees C. Initial room-temperature (15)N MAS NMR spectra and powder X-ray diffraction patterns of ground powder samples of KFCT prepared using a variety of crystallization methods suggested that only the C2/c form was obtained from a bulk crystallization. The (13)C MAS NMR spectra consisted of six peaks with equal integrated areas, a result that is inconsistent with the (15)N NMR spectra and known crystal structures. When the samples were not ground, the relative areas of the (13)C NMR peaks were altered, indicating that the bulk samples in fact consisted of the two known forms of KFCT. Using the known temperature dependence of these two polymorphs, the (13)C peaks corresponding to each of the C2/c and I4(1)/a forms were assigned. The (13)C NMR spectra and powder X-ray diffraction results demonstrate that upon grinding, a near 50-50 mixture of the two forms is always produced, rather than a new form entirely. The insensitivity of the (15)N NMR spectra to the polymorphism of KFCT is surprising, and likely arises from a fortuitous overlap of the (15)N NMR peaks of the two forms.

The effectiveness of 1H decoupling in the 13C MAS NMR of paramagnetic solids: an experimental case study incorporating copper(II) amino acid complexes.

The use of continuous-wave (CW) 1H decoupling has generally provided little improvement in the 13C MAS NMR spectroscopy of paramagnetic organic solids. Recent solid-state 13C NMR studies have demonstrated that at rapid magic-angle spinning rates CW decoupling can result in reductions in signal-to-noise and that 1H decoupling should be omitted when acquiring 13C MAS NMR spectra of paramagnetic solids. However, studies of the effectiveness of modern 1H decoupling sequences are lacking, and the performance of such sequences over a variety of experimental conditions must be investigated before 1H decoupling is discounted altogether. We have studied the performance of several commonly used advanced decoupling pulse sequences, namely the TPPM, SPINAL-64, XiX, and eDROOPY sequences, in 13C MAS NMR experiments performed under four combinations of the magnetic field strength (7.05 or 11.75T), rotor frequency (15 or 30kHz), and 1H rf-field strength (71, 100, or 140kHz). The effectiveness of these sequences has been evaluated by comparing the 13C signal intensity, linewidth at half-height, LWHH, and coherence lifetimes, T2('), of the methine carbon of copper(II) bis(dl-alanine) monohydrate, Cu(ala)(2).H2O, and methylene carbon of copper(II) bis(dl-2-aminobutyrate), Cu(ambut)(2), obtained with the advanced sequences to those obtained without 1H decoupling, with CW decoupling, and for fully deuterium labelled samples. The latter have been used as model compounds with perfect 1H decoupling and provide a measure of the efficiency of the 1H decoupling sequence. Overall, the effectiveness of 1H decoupling depends strongly on the decoupling sequence utilized, the experimental conditions and the sample studied. Of the decoupling sequences studied, the XiX sequence consistently yielded the best results, although any of the advanced decoupling sequences strongly outperformed the CW sequence and provided improvements over no 1H decoupling. Experiments performed at 7.05T demonstrate that the XiX decoupling sequence is the least sensitive to changes in the 1H transmitter frequency and may explain the superior performance of this decoupling sequence. Overall, the most important factor in the effectiveness of 1H decoupling was the carbon type studied, with the methylene carbon of Cu(ambut)(2) being substantially more sensitive to 1H decoupling than the methine carbon of Cu(ala)(2).H2O. An analysis of the various broadening mechanisms contributing to 13C linewidths has been performed in order to rationalize the different sensitivities of the two carbon sites under the four experimental conditions.

An NMR and relativistic DFT investigation of one-bond nuclear spin-spin coupling in solid triphenyl group-14 chlorides.

A solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and zeroth-order regular approximation density functional theory, ZORA-DFT, study of one-bond nuclear spin-spin coupling between group-14 nuclei and quadrupolar 35/37Cl nuclei in triphenyl group-14 chlorides, Ph3XCl (X = C, Si, Ge, Sn and Pb), is presented. This represents the first combined experimental and theoretical systematic study of spin-spin coupling involving spin-pairs containing quadrupolar nuclei. Solid-state NMR spectra have been acquired for all compounds in which X has a spin-1/2 isotope--13C, 29Si, [117/119]Sn and 207Pb-at applied magnetic fields of 4.70, 7.05 and 11.75 T. From simulations of these spectra, values describing the indirect spin-spin coupling tensor-the isotropic indirect spin-spin coupling constant, 1J(X, 35/37Cl)iso and the anisotropy of the J tensor, Delta1J(X, 35/37Cl)--have been determined for all but the lead-chlorine spin-pair. To better compare the indirect spin-spin coupling parameters between spin-pairs, 1J(iso) and Delta1J values were converted to their reduced coupling constants, 1K(iso) and Delta1K. From experiment, the sign of 1K(iso) was found to be negative while the sign of Delta1K is positive for all spin-pairs investigated. The magnitude of both 1K(iso) and Delta1K was found to increase as one moves down group-14. Theoretical values of the magnitude and sign of 1K(iso) and Delta1K were obtained from ZORA-DFT calculations and are in agreement with the available experimental data. From the calculations, the Fermi-contact mechanism was determined to provide the largest contribution to 1K(iso) for all spin-pairs while spin-dipolar and paramagnetic spin-orbit mechanisms make significant contributions to the anisotropy of K. The inclusion of relativistic effects was found to influence K(Sn,Cl) and K(Pb,Cl).

An investigation of lanthanum coordination compounds by using solid-state 139La NMR spectroscopy and relativistic density functional theory.

Lanthanum-139 NMR spectra of stationary samples of several solid La(III) coordination compounds have been obtained at applied magnetic fields of 11.75 and 17.60 T. The breadth and shape of the 139La NMR spectra of the central transition are dominated by the interaction between the 139La nuclear quadrupole moment and the electric field gradient (EFG) at that nucleus; however, the influence of chemical-shift anisotropy on the NMR spectra is non-negligible for the majority of the compounds investigated. Analysis of the experimental NMR spectra reveals that the 139La quadrupolar coupling constants (C(Q)) range from 10.0 to 35.6 MHz, the spans of the chemical-shift tensor (Omega) range from 50 to 260 ppm, and the isotropic chemical shifts (delta(iso)) range from -80 to 178 ppm. In general, there is a correlation between the magnitudes of C(Q) and Omega, and delta(iso) is shown to depend on the La coordination number. Magnetic-shielding tensors, calculated by using relativistic zeroth-order regular approximation density functional theory (ZORA-DFT) and incorporating scalar only or scalar plus spin-orbit relativistic effects, qualitatively reproduce the experimental chemical-shift tensors. In general, the inclusion of spin-orbit coupling yields results that are in better agreement with those from the experiment. The magnetic-shielding calculations and experimentally determined Euler angles can be used to predict the orientation of the chemical-shift and EFG tensors in the molecular frame. This study demonstrates that solid-state 139La NMR spectroscopy is a useful characterization method and can provide insight into the molecular structure of lanthanum coordination compounds.

Multiple-magnetic field 139La NMR and density functional theory investigation of the solid lanthanum(III) halides.

Results from a solid-state 139La NMR spectroscopic investigation of the anhydrous lanthanum(III) halides (LaX3; X=F, Cl, Br, I) at applied magnetic fields of 7.0, 9.4, 11.7, 14.1, and 17.6 T are presented and highlight the advantages of working at high applied magnetic field strengths. The 139La quadrupolar coupling constants are found to range from 15.55 to 24.0 MHz for LaCl3 and LaI3, respectively. The lanthanum isotropic chemical shifts exhibit an inverse halogen dependence with values ranging from -135 ppm for LaF3 to 700 ppm for LaI3, which represents nearly half of the total lanthanum chemical shift range. The spans of the magnetic shielding tensors also vary widely, from 35 to 650 ppm for the solid LaF3 through LaI3. DFT calculations of the 139La electric field gradient and magnetic shielding tensors have been performed and provide a qualitative interpretation of the trends observed experimentally.