A curious case of dynamic disorder in pyrrolidine rings elucidated by NMR crystallography

A pharmaceutical exhibits differing dynamics in crystallographically distinct pyrrolidine rings despite being nearly related by symmetry, with one performing ring inversions while the other is constrained to torsional librations. Using 13C solid-state magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR and DFT calculations, we show that this contrast originates from C-H···H-C close contacts and less efficient C-H···π intermolecular interactions observed in the transition state of the constrained pyrrolidine ring, highlighting the influence of the crystallographic environment on the molecular motion

Investigating discrepancies between experimental solid-state NMR and GIPAW calculation : NC–N 13C and OH⋯O 1H chemical shifts in pyridinium fumarates and their cocrystals

An NMR crystallography analysis is presented for four solid-state structures of pyridine fumarates and their cocrystals, using crystal structures deposited in the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre, CCDC. Experimental one-dimensional, one-pulse 1H and 13C cross-polarisation (CP) magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and two-dimensional 14N–1H heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence MAS NMR spectra are compared with gauge-including projector augmented wave (GIPAW) calculations of the 1H and 13C chemical shifts and the 14N shifts that additionally depend on the quadrupolar interaction. Considering the high ppm (>10 ppm) 1H resonances, while there is good agreement (within 0.4 ppm) between experiment and GIPAW calculation for the hydrogen-bonded NH moieties, the hydrogen-bonded fumaric acid OH resonances are 1.2–1.9 ppm higher in GIPAW calculation as compared to experiment. For the cocrystals of a salt and a salt formed by 2-amino-5-methylpyridinium and 2-amino-6-methylpyridinium ions, a large discrepancy of 4.2 and 5.9 ppm between experiment and GIPAW calculation is observed for the quaternary ring carbon 13C resonance that is directly bonded to two nitrogens (in the ring and in the amino group). By comparison, there is excellent agreement (within 0.2 ppm) for the quaternary ring carbon 13C resonance directly bonded to the ring nitrogen for the salt and cocrystal of a salt formed by 2,6-lutidinium and 2,5-lutidine, respectively

Improving Confidence in Crystal Structure Solutions Using NMR Crystallography: The Case of β-Piroxicam

NMR crystallographic techniques are used to validate a structure of β-piroxicam determined from powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) with a relatively poor R-factor. Geometry optimization of PXRD- and single-crystal XRD- derived structures results in convergence to the same energy of the structures, with minimal atomic displacements, and good agreement of gauge-included projector augmented wave (GIPAW) calculated and experimentally determined NMR 1H, 13C, and 15N chemical shifts, and 14N quadrupolar parameters. Calculations on isolated molecules combined with 2D magic-angle spinning (MAS) 1H double-quantum (DQ) and 14N–1H NMR experiments confirm the 3D packing arrangement of β-piroxicam. NMR crystallography is shown to be an effective means of validating crystal structures that might otherwise be considered sceptically on the basis of diffraction data alone

5-amino-2-methylpyridinium hydrogen fumarate : an XRD and NMR crystallography analysis

Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction structures of the 5‐amino‐2‐methylpyridinium hydrogen fumarate salt have been solved at 150 and 300 K (CCDC 1952142 and 1952143). A base‐acid‐base‐acid ring is formed through pyridinium‐carboxylate and amine‐carboxylate hydrogen bonds that hold together chains formed from hydrogen‐bonded hydrogen fumarate ions. 1H and 13C chemical shifts as well as 14N shifts that additionally depend on the quadrupolar interaction are determined by experimental magic‐angle spinning (MAS) solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gauge‐including projector augmented wave (GIPAW) calculation. Two‐dimensional homonuclear 1H‐1H double‐quantum (DQ) MAS and heteronuclear 1H‐13C and 14N‐1H spectra are presented. Only small differences of up to 0.1 ppm and 0.6 ppm for 1H and 13C are observed between GIPAW calculations starting with the two structures solved at 150 and 300 K (after geometry optimisation of atomic positions, but not unit cell parameters). A comparison of GIPAW calculated 1H chemical shifts for isolated molecules and the full crystal structures is indicative of hydrogen bonding strength

Polymorph identification for flexible molecules : linear regression analysis of experimental and calculated solution- and solid-state NMR data

The Δδ regression approach of Blade et al. [ J. Phys. Chem. A 2020, 124(43), 8959–8977] for accurately discriminating between solid forms using a combination of experimental solution- and solid-state NMR data with density functional theory (DFT) calculation is here extended to molecules with multiple conformational degrees of freedom, using furosemide polymorphs as an exemplar. As before, the differences in measured 1H and 13C chemical shifts between solution-state NMR and solid-state magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR (Δδexperimental) are compared to those determined by gauge-including projector augmented wave (GIPAW) calculations (Δδcalculated) by regression analysis and a t-test, allowing the correct furosemide polymorph to be precisely identified. Monte Carlo random sampling is used to calculate solution-state NMR chemical shifts, reducing computation times by avoiding the need to systematically sample the multidimensional conformational landscape that furosemide occupies in solution. The solvent conditions should be chosen to match the molecule’s charge state between the solution and solid states. The Δδ regression approach indicates whether or not correlations between Δδexperimental and Δδcalculated are statistically significant; the approach is differently sensitive to the popular root mean squared error (RMSE) method, being shown to exhibit a much greater dynamic range. An alternative method for estimating solution-state NMR chemical shifts by approximating the measured solution-state dynamic 3D behavior with an ensemble of 54 furosemide crystal structures (polymorphs and cocrystals) from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) was also successful in this case, suggesting new avenues for this method that may overcome its current dependency on the prior determination of solution dynamic 3D structures

Structural Characterisation of Amorphous Solid Dispersions via Metropolis Matrix Factorisation of Pair Distribution Function Data

We measure the X-ray pair distribution functions (PDFs) of a series of felodipine:copovidone amorphous solid dispersions. Using a newly-developed Metropolis Matrix Factorisation (MMF) algorithm we extract from these data the PDF of the amorphous felodipine component in isolation. Our MMF analysis allows quantification of the degree of drug crystallinity in each sample, and structural characterisation of the amorphous drug viaits PDF. Comparison with atomistic simulations reveals that the (in)accessibility of conformational rotamers distinguishes amorphous and crystalline felodipine, in turn suggesting design routes for stabilising the amorphous form. We discuss the conceptual importance of our results in the context of characterising not only amorphous pharmaceuticals, but complex mixtures in general

Grain and Domain Microstructure in Long Chain N-Alkane and N-Alkanol Wax Crystals

Waxes comprise a diverse set of materials from lubricants and coatings to biological materials such as the intracuticular wax layers on plant leaves that restrict water loss to inhibit dehydration. Despite the often mixed hydrocarbon chain lengths and functional groups within waxes, they show a propensity for ordering into crystalline phases, albeit with a wealth of solid solution behavior and disorder modes that determine chemical transport and mechanical properties. Here, we reveal the microscopic structure and heterogeneity of replica leaf wax models based on the dominant wax types in the Schefflera elegantissima plant, namely C31H64 and C30H61OH and their binary mixtures. We observe defined grain microstructure in C31H64 crystals and nanoscale domains of chain-ordered lamellae within these grains. Moreover, nematic phases and dynamical disorder co-exist with the domains of ordered lamellae. C30H61OH exhibits more disordered chain packing with no grain structure or lamellar domains. Binary mixtures from 0-50% C30H61OH exhibit a loss of grain structure with increasing alcohol content accompanied by increasingly nematic rather than lamellar chain packing, suggesting a partial but limited solid solution behavior. Together, these results unveil the previously unseen microstructural features governing flexibility and permeability in leaf waxes and outline an approach to microstructure analysis across agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food

Data for A curious case of dynamic disorder in pyrrolidine rings elucidated by NMR crystallography

A pharmaceutical exhibits differing dynamics in crystallographically distinct pyrrolidine rings despite being nearly related by symmetry, with one performing ring inversions while the other is constrained to torsional librations. Using 13C solid-state magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR and DFT calculations, we show that this contrast originates from C-H···H-C close contacts and less efficient C-H···π intermolecular interactions observed in the transition state of the constrained pyrrolidine ring, highlighting the influence of the crystallographic environment on the molecular motion

Data for A toolbox for improving the workflow of NMR crystallography

NMR crystallography is a powerful tool with applications in structural characterization and crystal structure verification, to name two. However, applying this tool presents several challenges, especially for industrial users, in terms of consistency, workflow, time consumption, and the requirement for a high level of understanding of experimental solid-state NMR and GIPAW-DFT calculations. Here, we have developed a series of fully parameterized scripts for use in Materials Studio and TopSpin, based on the .magres file format, with a focus on organic molecules (e.g. pharmaceuticals), improving efficiency, robustness, and workflow. We separate these tools into three major categories: performing the DFT calculations, extracting & visualizing the results, and crystallographic modelling. These scripts will rapidly submit fully parameterized CASTEP jobs, extract data from the calculations, assist in visualizing the results, and expedite the process of structural modelling. Accompanied with these tools is a description on their functionality, documentation on how to get started and use the scripts, and links to video tutorials for guiding new users. Through the use of these tools, we hope to facilitate NMR crystallography and to harmonize the process across users