High-precision measurement of internuclear distances using solid-state NMR

Abstract

Today, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is among the most efficient tools in structural studies. Measurement of interatomic distances is the most common way of determining high-resolution structures of molecules using NMR techniques. In this article, we describe NMR techniques for static powder samples, based on a two-dimensional single-echo scheme, enhanced with adiabatic cross-polarization. They can significantly increase the accuracy of measuring internuclear distances and turn NMR into a high-precision crystallographic technique, complementing the X-ray, and neutron-scattering methods. Experimental examples are presented for intramolecular C-N and C-C distances in α-crystalline form of glycine. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.