Confirming a predicted selection rule in inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopy: the quantum translator-rotator H2 entrapped inside C60.

We report an inelastic neutron scattering (INS) study of a H2 molecule encapsulated inside the fullerene C60 which confirms the recently predicted selection rule, the first to be established for the INS spectroscopy of aperiodic, discrete molecular compounds. Several transitions from the ground state of para-H2 to certain excited translation-rotation states, forbidden according to the selection rule, are systematically absent from the INS spectra, thus validating the selection rule with a high degree of confidence. Its confirmation sets a precedent, as it runs counter to the widely held view that the INS spectroscopy of molecular compounds is not subject to any selection rules.

Symmetry-breaking in the endofullerene H2O@C660 revealed in the quantum dynamics of ortho and para-water: a neutron scattering investigation.

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) has been employed to investigate the quantum dynamics of water molecules permanently entrapped inside the cages of C60 fullerene molecules. This study of the supramolecular complex, H2O@C60, provides the unique opportunity to study isolated water molecules in a highly symmetric environment. Free from strong interactions, the water molecule has a high degree of rotational freedom enabling its nuclear spin isomers, ortho-H2O and para-H2O to be separately identified and studied. The INS technique mediates transitions between the ortho and para spin isomers and using three INS spectrometers, the rotational levels of H2O have been investigated, correlating well with the known levels in gaseous water. The slow process of nuclear spin conversion between ortho-H2O and para-H2O is revealed in the time dependence of the INS peak intensities over periods of many hours. Of particular interest to this study is the observed splitting of the ground state of ortho-H2O, raising the three-fold degeneracy into two states with degeneracy 2 and 1 respectively. This is attributed to a symmetry-breaking interaction of the water environment.

Nuclear spin conversion of water inside fullerene cages detected by low-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance.

The water-endofullerene H2O@C60 provides a unique chemical system in which freely rotating water molecules are confined inside homogeneous and symmetrical carbon cages. The spin conversion between the ortho and para species of the endohedral H2O was studied in the solid phase by low-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance. The experimental data are consistent with a second-order kinetics, indicating a bimolecular spin conversion process. Numerical simulations suggest the simultaneous presence of a spin diffusion process allowing neighbouring ortho and para molecules to exchange their angular momenta. Cross-polarization experiments found no evidence that the spin conversion of the endohedral H2O molecules is catalysed by (13)C nuclei present in the cages.

Photolysis of endoperoxides in the presence of nitroxides: a laser flash photolysis study with optical and ESR detection.

Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, transient absorption, and phosphorescence spectroscopy were used to investigate the spin polarization of a nitroxide free radical induced by interaction with singlet oxygen ((1)O2). The latter was generated by photolysis of endoperoxides of two anthracene derivatives. Although both anthracene endoperoxides are structurally similar, opposite spin polarization of the nitroxide was observed. Photolysis of one endoperoxide leads to absorptive nitroxide spin polarization due to interaction with the generated (1)O2. Photolysis of the other endoperoxide generated emissive nitroxide spin polarization, probably due to interaction of the endoperoxide triplet states with nitroxides.

Interaction of H2 @C60 and nitroxide through conformationally constrained peptide bridges.

We synthesized two molecular systems, in which an endofullerene C60 , incarcerating one hydrogen molecule (H2 @C60 ) and a nitroxide radical are connected by a folded 310 -helical peptide. The difference between the two molecules is the direction of the peptide orientation. The nuclear spin relaxation rates and the para → ortho conversion rate of the incarcerated hydrogen molecule were determined by (1) H NMR spectroscopy. The experimental results were analyzed using DFT-optimized molecular models. The relaxation rates and the conversion rates of the two peptides fall in the expected distance range. One of the two peptides is particularly rigid and thus ideal to keep the H2 @C60 /nitroxide separation, r, as large and controlled as possible, which results in particularly low relaxation and conversion rates. Despite the very similar optimized distance, however, the rates measured with the other peptide are considerably higher and thus are compatible with a shorter effective distance. The results strengthen the outcome of previous investigations that while the para → ortho conversion rates satisfactorily obey the Wigner's theory, the nuclear spin relaxation rates are in excellent agreement with the Solomon-Bloembergen equation predicting a 1/r(6) dependence.

Paramagnet enhanced nuclear spin relaxation in H2O@Open-C60 and H2@Open-C60.

Relaxation rates of endo-H2O in H2O@Open-C60 in the presence of a nitroxide radical and of their nitroxide derivatives have been measured and are compared with effects for endo-H2 in similar cages. T1 relaxation enhancement of the endo-H2O and H2 induced by either intra- or intermolecular interaction is relatively insensitive to the presence of a cage opening. Enhancement of intermolecular relaxation is observed, however, when the cage opening has an OH group.

Nuclear spin isomers of guest molecules in H2@C60, H2O@C60 and other endofullerenes.

Spectroscopic studies of recently synthesized endofullerenes, in which H2, H2O and other atoms and small molecules are trapped in cages of carbon atoms, have shown that although the trapped molecules interact relatively weakly with the internal environment they are nevertheless susceptible to appropriately applied external perturbations. These properties have been exploited to isolate and study samples of H2 in C60 and other fullerenes that are highly enriched in the para spin isomer. Several strategies for spin-isomer enrichment, potential extensions to other endofullerenes and possible applications of these materials are discussed.

Infrared spectroscopy of small-molecule endofullerenes.

Hydrogen is one of the few molecules that has been incarcerated in the molecular cage of C60 to form the endohedral supramolecular complex H2@C60. In this confinement, hydrogen acquires new properties. Its translation motion, within the C60 cavity, becomes quantized, is correlated with its rotation and breaks inversion symmetry that induces infrared (IR) activity of H2. We apply IR spectroscopy to study the dynamics of hydrogen isotopologues H2, D2 and HD incarcerated in C60. The translation and rotation modes appear as side bands to the hydrogen vibration mode in the mid-IR part of the absorption spectrum. Because of the large mass difference of hydrogen and C60 and the high symmetry of C60 the problem is almost identical to a vibrating rotor moving in a three-dimensional spherical potential. We derive potential, rotation, vibration and dipole moment parameters from the analysis of the IR absorption spectra. Our results were used to derive the parameters of a pairwise additive five-dimensional potential energy surface for H2@C60. The same parameters were used to predict H2 energies inside C70. We compare the predicted energies and the low-temperature IR absorption spectra of H2@C70.

Probing the C60 triplet state coupling to nuclear spins inside and out.

The photoexcitation of functionalized fullerenes to their paramagnetic triplet electronic state can be studied by pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, whereas the interactions of this state with the surrounding nuclear spins can be observed by a related technique: electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR). In this study, we present EPR and ENDOR studies on a functionalized exohedral fullerene system, dimethyl[9-hydro (C60-Ih)[5,6]fulleren-1(9H)-yl]phosphonate (DMHFP), where the triplet electron spin has been used to hyperpolarize, couple and measure two nuclear spins. We go on to discuss the extension of these methods to study a new class of endohedral fullerenes filled with small molecules, such as H2@C60, and we relate the results to density functional calculations.

Nuclear magnetic resonance of hydrogen molecules trapped inside C70 fullerene cages.

We present a solid-state NMR study of H2 molecules confined inside the cavity of C70 fullerene cages over a wide range of temperatures (300 K to 4 K). The proton NMR spectra are consistent with a model in which the dipole-dipole coupling between the ortho-H2 protons is averaged over the rotational/translational states of the confined quantum rotor, with an additional chemical shift anisotropy δ(H)(CSA)=10.1 ppm induced by the carbon cage. The magnitude of the chemical shift anisotropy is consistent with DFT estimates of the chemical shielding tensor field within the cage. The experimental NMR data indicate that the ground state of endohedral ortho-H2 in C70 is doubly degenerate and polarized transverse to the principal axis of the cage. The NMR spectra indicate significant magnetic alignment of the C70 long axes along the magnetic field, at temperatures below ~10 K.

Quantum rotation of ortho and para-water encapsulated in a fullerene cage.

Inelastic neutron scattering, far-infrared spectroscopy, and cryogenic nuclear magnetic resonance are used to investigate the quantized rotation and ortho-para conversion of single water molecules trapped inside closed fullerene cages. The existence of metastable ortho-water molecules is demonstrated, and the interconversion of ortho-and para-water spin isomers is tracked in real time. Our investigation reveals that the ground state of encapsulated ortho water has a lifted degeneracy, associated with symmetry-breaking of the water environment.

ENDOR evidence of electron-H2 interaction in a fulleride embedding H2.

An endofulleropyrrolidine, with H2 as a guest, has been reduced to a paramagnetic endofulleride radical anion. The magnetic interaction between the electron delocalized on the fullerene cage and the guest H2 has been probed by pulsed ENDOR. The experimental hyperfine couplings between the electron and the H2 guest were measured, and their values agree very well with DFT calculations. This agreement provides clear evidence of magnetic communication between the electron density of the fullerene host cage and H2 guest. The ortho-H2/para-H2 interconversion is revealed by temperature-dependent ENDOR measurements at low temperature. The conversion of the paramagnetic ortho-H2 to the diamagnetic para-H2 causes the ENDOR signal to decrease as the temperature is lowered due to the spin catalysis by the paramagnetic fullerene cage of the radical anion fulleride.

Synthesis, isomer count, and nuclear spin relaxation of H2O@open-C60 nitroxide derivatives.

H(2)O@C(60) derivatives covalently linked to a nitroxide radical were synthesized. The (1)H NMR of the guest H(2)O revealed the formation of many isomers with broad signals. Reduction to the diamagnetic hydroxylamines sharpened the (1)H NMR signals considerably and allowed for an "isomer count" based on the number of observed distinct signals. For H(2)O@K-8, 17 positional isomeric nitroxides are predicted, not including additional numbers of regioisomers; indeed, 17 signals are observed in the (1)H NMR spectrum.

Comparison of Nuclear Spin Relaxation of H2O@C60 and H2@C60 and Their Nitroxide Derivatives.

The successful synthesis of H2O@C60 makes possible the study of magnetic interactions of an isolated water molecule in a geometrically well-defined hydrophobic environment. Comparisons are made between the T1 values of H2O@C60 and the previously studied H2@C60 and their nitroxide derivatives. The value of T1 is approximately six times longer for H2O@C60 than for H2@C60 at room temperature, is independent of solvent viscosity or polarity, and increases monotonically with decreasing temperature, implying that T1 is dominated by the spin-rotation interaction. Paramagnetic nitroxides, either attached covalently to the C60 cage or added to the medium, produce strikingly similar T1 enhancements for H2O@C60 and H2@C60 that are consistent with through-space interaction between the internal nuclear spins and the external electron spin. This indicates that it should be possible to apply to the endo-H2O molecule the same methodologies for manipulating the ortho and para spin isomers that have proven successful for H2@C60.

Indirect 1H NMR characterization of H2@C60 nitroxide derivatives and their nuclear spin relaxation.

(1)H NMR of two H(2)@C(60) nitroxide derivatives has been characterized indirectly by reducing to their corresponding hydroxylamines. Nuclear spin relaxation of the endohedral H(2) and external protons of the H(2)@C(60) nitroxide and its corresponding hydroxylamine were measured and analyzed. The observed spectra are consistent with negligible scalar coupling between the unpaired electron and the endo-H(2). An unexpectedly large bimolecular relaxivity induced in the hydroxylamine by the corresponding nitroxide can be explained by rapid hydrogen atom transfer between the two species.

Infrared spectroscopy of endohedral HD and D2 in C60.

We report on the dynamics of two hydrogen isotopomers, D(2) and HD, trapped in the molecular cages of a fullerene C(60) molecule. We measured the infrared spectra and analyzed them using a spherical potential for a vibrating rotor. The potential, vibration-rotation Hamiltonian, and dipole moment parameters are compared with previously studied H(2)@C(60) parameters [M. Ge, U. Nagel, D. Hüvonen, T. Rõõm, S. Mamone, M. H. Levitt, M. Carravetta, Y. Murata, K. Komatsu, J. Y.-C. Chen, and N. J. Turro, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 054507 (2011)]. The isotropic part of the potential is similar for all three isotopomers. In HD@C(60), we observe mixing of the rotational states and an interference effect of the dipole moment terms due to the displacement of the HD rotation center from the fullerene cage center.

A photochemical on-off switch for tuning the equilibrium mixture of H2 nuclear spin isomers as a function of temperature.

The photochemical interconversion of the two allotropes of the hydrogen molecule [para-H(2) (pH(2)) and ortho-H(2) (oH(2))] incarcerated inside the fullerene C(70) (pH(2)@C(70) and oH(2)@C(70), respectively) is reported. Photoexcitation of H(2)@C(70) generates a fullerene triplet state that serves as a spin catalyst for pH(2)/oH(2) conversion. This method provides a means of changing the pH(2)/oH(2) ratio inside C(70) by simply irradiating H(2)@C(70) at different temperatures, since the equilibrium ratio is temperature-dependent and the electronic triplet state of the fullerene produced by absorption of the photon serves as an "on-off" spin catalyst. However, under comparable conditions, no photolytic pH(2)/oH(2) interconversion was observed for H(2)@C(60), which was rationalized by the significantly shorter triplet lifetime of H(2)@C(60) relative to H(2)@C(70).

Synthesis and characterization of bispyrrolidine derivatives of H2@C60: differentiation of isomers using 1H NMR spectroscopy of endohedral H2.

Bisadduct isomers of a H(2)@C(60) derivative with nitroxide addends have been synthesized, isolated and characterized. The (1)H NMRs of endohedral H(2) of the major isomers show well-separated chemical shifts, which could be useful for structural assignment and identification of the purity of the C(60) bisadduct isomers.

Stearic acid delivery to corneum from a mild and moisturizing cleanser.

OBJECTIVE: A mild moisturizing body wash with stearic acid, a key component of corneum lipids, and emollient soybean oil has been introduced in the market place. The objectives of this study are to determine the amount and the location of the stearic acid in the corneum after in vivo cleansing by the formulation. METHOD: Clinical cleansing studies for one and five consecutive days were carried out with the formulation containing soybean oil or petroleum jelly (PJ). The free stearic acid in it was replaced by the fully deuterated variant. The amounts of stearic acid in 10 consecutive corneum tape strips were measured by liquid chromatograph-mass spectroscopy. Separately, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements were taken with a porcine skin after a wash by the soybean oil formulation with its free fatty acid replaced by its spin probe analogue, 5-doxyl stearic acid. RESULTS: Deuterated stearic acid was detected in all 10 consecutive layers of stratum corneum and the total amount after five washes with the soybean oil formulation was 0.33 µg/cm². The spin probe in cleanser-treated skin was incorporated in a partially ordered hydrophobic region similar to corneum lipids. The probe mobility increased in the temperature region where lipid disorder was expected. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated total fatty acid delivered to skin from cleansing is comparable to the amount of fatty acid in a corneum layer. The delivered fatty acid is most likely incorporated in the corneum lipid phase.

A magnetic switch for spin-catalyzed interconversion of nuclear spin isomers.

The interconversion of ortho-hydrogen (oH(2)) and para-hydrogen (pH(2)), the two nuclear spin isomers of dihydrogen, requires a paramagnetic spin catalyst such as a nitroxide. We report the design and demonstration of spin catalysis of the interconversion of oH(2) and pH(2) incarcerated in an endofullerene based on a reversible nitroxide/hydroxylamine system. The system is an example of a reversible magnetic spin catalysis switch that can increase the rate of interconversion of the nuclear spin isomers of H(2) by a factor of approximately 10(4).