¹¹B and ¹H-¹¹B HMBC NMR as a Tool for Identification of a Boron-Containing Nucleoside Dimer

Boron-containing compounds are commonly used in synthetic chemistry and are known to play important roles in biology. Despite the widespread relevance of boronated compounds, there have been limited methods to discover, characterize, and study them. Here, we describe the use of ¹¹B NMR, including ¹H-¹¹B HMBC, for the isolation and characterization of the boron-containing natural product diadenosine borate. Utilizing synthetic standards, we optimized coupling parameters for ¹H-¹¹B HMBC experiments to allow for the analysis of small quantities (∼1 mg) of boron-containing compounds. This work can facilitate the broader application of ¹¹B NMR to the study of boron in a range of applications, from synthetic chemistry to the role of boron in naturally occurring systems.