Determination of carbon-13 chemical shielding tensor in the liquid state by combining NMR relaxation experiments and quantum chemical calculations.

Based on multifield NMR relaxation measurements and quantum chemistry calculations, a strategy aiming at the determination of the chemical shielding tensor (CST) in the liquid state is described. Brownian motions in the liquid state restrict the direct observation of CST to a third of its trace (isotropic shift), and even if CST can be probed indirectly through some spin relaxation rates (specific longitudinal relaxation rates, dipolar chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) cross-correlation rates), an insufficient number of experimental parameters prevents its complete determination. This lack of information can be compensated by using quantum chemical calculations so as to obtain the molecular CST orientation even if a relatively modest level of computation is used. As relaxation parameters involve a dynamic part, a prerequisite is the determination of the molecular anisotropic reorientation which can be obtained independently from dipolar cross-relaxation rates. A polycyclic molecule exhibiting a well-characterized anisotropic reorientation serves as an example for such a study, and some (but not all) carbon-13 chemical shielding tensors can be accurately determined. A comparison with solid-state NMR data and numerous chemical quantum calculations are presented.