High-resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR spectroscopy is used to study solid samples that are normally difficult to analyze due to broadening of peaks. Solid-phase peptide synthesis can bind peptides to an insoluble resin that can be analyzed with HRMAS NMR spectroscopy. A combination of HRMAS NMR and IRMPD spectroscopy, along with computational chemistry, was applied to analyze and evaluate the structure of resin-bound glutathione. Two-dimensional 1H-1H NMR experiments such as COSY, TOCSY, and ROESY were employed to assign and predict the structure of the resin-bound peptide. IRMPD results were used along with calculated protonated structures and spectra to evaluate the conformation of the peptide. The experimental spectrum was compared to the spectra and structures of the protonated species to hypothesize the most favoured structure. Molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics and DFT calculations were implemented to collect structures that best resembled the free and resin-bound glutathione peptide. The results from these methods were compared to determine the structure that is most probable for the glutathione peptide. A semi-folded conformation is the structure the resin-bound GSH most preferred as concluded from the NMR and DFT results. The IRMPD results were analyzed as separate from the resin-bound experiments and suggested protonated GSH had a folded conformation. FK-13 was another peptide synthesized using the solid-phase peptide synthesis technique. The peptide was synthesized using a modified technique different from conventional methodology used in the past. The peptide was also analyzed using COSY, TOCSY, and ROESY to confirm that the synthesis was done correctly and hypothesize a structure. The low substitution of the peptide on the resin gave rise to minimal NOE interactions, but there was some evidence suggesting that the synthesis was successful and the peptide adopted a cyclic conformation. These initial results are useful for future analyses and conformational studies of this resin-bound peptide. Further work needs to be done for both peptides to explore the structures in more detail. The explicit model of solvation should be used to explore the effect of solvent molecules on the conformation of the glutathione peptide as opposed to the implicit model that PCM provides. FK-13 could be synthesized better so that a higher substitution is achieved and better NMR results are obtained. The IRMPD results obtained by the McMahon group can then be compared to the NMR results and computational calculations can be performed to obtain realistic structures of the peptide.

NaHCOO(aq) and NaDCOO(aq) solutions were measured using Raman spectroscopy from dilute to concentrated solutions at 23 °C in water and heavy water from 50 to 4300 cm−1. A concentrated NaHCOO solution in heavy water was also measured. The Raman band parameters of HCOO−(aq) and DCOO−(aq) such as peak position, full width at half maximum (fwhm), integrated intensities, and depolarization values were determined. From the Raman spectroscopic data, it was concluded that the HCOO−(aq) and DCOO−(aq) symmetry is lower than C2v and probably as low as C1. In contrast to the solution state, (HCO2−(DCO2−) possess C2v symmetry in the gas phase and the DFT frequencies are given. DFT frequencies on a cluster of HCOO−/DCOO− with five implicit water molecules in the first sphere and placed in a polarizable continuum deviate not more than 1–2% from the measured ones. In the Raman spectrum in NaHCOO(aq), a band doublet at 2730 cm−1 and 2820 cm−1 occurs instead of a single band. The band doublet is due to Fermi resonance and results from the interaction of the overtone of the bending C–H mode, 2ν6 at 1382 cm−1 and ν1. The undisturbed C–H stretching mode, ν1 amounts to 2785 cm−1. In DCOO−(aq), a Fermi doublet was also observed at 2030.5 and 2116.5 cm−1, and the undisturbed wavenumber position amounts to 2101 cm−1. Furthermore, a solution of HCOO− in D2O showed slightly changed frequencies compared with the ones in water caused by the solvent isotope effect. Ion pairing between Na+ and HCOO− characterizes the Raman spectrum at high solute concentrations which are melt-like enabling direct contact between the ions. A NaHCOO solution with high amounts of LiCl added showed large perturbations of the HCOO− bands especially νsCOO− and δ COO− of HCOO−and revealed a stronger affinity of Li+ toward HCOO−. The ion pairs formed are most likely contact ion pairs between Li+ and HCOO− which have different stoichiometry of Li+: HCOO− such as 1:1 and 2:1.