Determination of protein structures in the solid state from NMR chemical shifts

Paul Robustelli1, Andrea Cavalli, Michele Vendruscolo

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.

Related Concept Videos

Proton (¹H) NMR: Chemical Shift01:07

Proton (¹H) NMR: Chemical Shift

Organic molecules primarily contain carbon and hydrogen atoms. While all the hydrogen isotopes are NMR-active, protium or hydrogen-1 is the most abundant. It has a significant energy separation between its nuclear spin states due to its large gyromagnetic ratio. As per Boltzmann's distribution, an increase in the energy separation implies a greater excess population of nuclei available for excitation, resulting in a strong NMR absorption signal.
Absorption signals of all the protium nuclei...
3.5K
NMR Spectroscopy: Chemical Shift Overview01:15

NMR Spectroscopy: Chemical Shift Overview

The position of the absorption signal of a sample is reported relative to the position of the signal of tetramethylsilane (TMS), which is added as an internal reference while recording spectra. The difference between the absorption frequencies of the sample and TMS (in Hz) is divided by the spectrometer operating frequency (in MHz) to obtain a dimensionless quantity called the chemical shift. It is reported on the δ (delta) scale and expressed in parts per million.
For instance, the proton...
3.3K
Structures of Solids02:22

Structures of Solids

Solids in which the atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a definite repeating pattern are known as crystalline solids. Metals and ionic compounds typically form ordered, crystalline solids. A crystalline solid has a precise melting temperature because each atom or molecule of the same type is held in place with the same forces or energy. Amorphous solids or non-crystalline solids (or, sometimes, glasses) which lack an ordered internal structure and are randomly arranged. Substances that...
17.7K
¹H NMR Chemical Shift Equivalence: Homotopic and Heterotopic Protons01:03

¹H NMR Chemical Shift Equivalence: Homotopic and Heterotopic Protons

Protons in identical electronic environments within a molecule are chemically equivalent and have the same chemical shift. The replacement test is a useful tool to identify chemical equivalence and predict NMR spectra. A substituent replaces each of the protons being examined and the resulting molecules are compared. If the same molecule is obtained, the protons are equivalent or homotopic. Replacement of any hydrogens in ethane by chlorine yields chloroethane because all six protons are...
4.2K
¹H NMR Chemical Shift Equivalence: Enantiotopic and Diastereotopic Protons00:58

¹H NMR Chemical Shift Equivalence: Enantiotopic and Diastereotopic Protons

Replacing each alpha-hydrogen in chloroethane by bromine (or a different functional group) yields a pair of enantiomers. Such protons are called prochiral or enantiotopic and are related by a mirror plane. Enantiotopic protons are chemically equivalent in an achiral environment. Because most proton NMR spectra are recorded using achiral solvents, enantiotopic hydrogens yield a single signal.
In chiral compounds such as 2-butanol, replacing the methylene hydrogens at C3 produces a pair of...
3.3K
Experimental Determination of Chemical Formula02:37

Experimental Determination of Chemical Formula

The elemental makeup of a compound defines its chemical identity, and chemical formulas are the most concise way of representing this elemental makeup. When a compound’s formula is unknown, measuring the mass of its constituent elements is often the first step in determining the formula experimentally.
47.0K