Novel 2-H NMR Methods for Studying Quadrupolar and Shielding Interactions in Dia- and Paramagnetic Solids

Deuterium (2-H) NMR spectroscopy is an established and widely used method of obtaining chemical information about a specific hydrogen site in a solid material. Recently, we have begun to develop a new two-dimensional 2-H NMR technique for separating and measuring the quadrupolar and shielding interactions of the spin 1=1 2-H nucleus. This method holds the promise of being able to measure the very small 2-H chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) found in diamagnetic systems and of being able to determine the relative orientation of the quadrupole and shielding anisotropy tensors in paramagnetic systems. The research project involves making improvements to the basic technique, developing methods of analysing the spectra (especially in, e.g., paramagnetic systems where molecular motion is occurring), and applying the improved technique to the study of hydrogen bonding in diamagnetic solids and to the problem of NMR structure determination around paramagnetic centres.