Experimental parameters that influence the resolution of ¹H-NMR phenol OH signals are critically evaluated with emphasis on the effects of pH, temperature and nature of the solvents. Extremely sharp peaks (Δν_1/2 ≤ 2 Hz) can be obtained under optimized experimental conditions which allow the application of ¹H-¹³C HMBC-NMR experiments to reveal long range coupling constants of hydroxyl protons and, thus, to provide unequivocal assignment of the OH signals even in cases of complex polyphenol natural products. Intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonds have a very significant effect on ¹H OH chemical shifts which cover a region from 4.5 up to 19 ppm. Solvent effects on –OH proton chemical shifts, temperature coefficients (Δδ/ΔT), OH diffusion coefficients, and ⁿJ(¹³C, O¹H) coupling constants are evaluated as indicators of hydrogen bonding and solvation state of phenol –OH groups. Accurate ¹H chemical shifts of the OH groups can be calculated using a combination of DFT and discrete solute-solvent hydrogen bond interaction at relatively inexpensive levels of theory, namely, DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G (2d,p). Excellent correlations between experimental ¹H chemical shifts and those calculated at the ab initio level can provide a method of primary interest in order to obtain structural and conformational description of solute-solvent interactions at a molecular level. The use of the high resolution phenol hydroxyl group ¹H-NMR spectral region provides a general method for the analysis of complex plant extracts without the need for the isolation of the individual components.

Ab initio calculations of O–H⋯O and O–H⋯ ⁻ O ¹ H chemical shifts provide accurate electronic description of hydrogen bonding and sensitive measure of hydrogen bond lengths.

The exact knowledge of hydrogen atomic positions of O–H···O hydrogen bonds in solution and in the solid state has been a major challenge in structural and physical organic chemistry. The objective of this review article is to summarize recent developments in the refinement of labile hydrogen positions with the use of: (i) density functional theory (DFT) calculations after a structure has been determined by X-ray from single crystals or from powders; (ii) ¹H-NMR chemical shifts as constraints in DFT calculations, and (iii) use of root-mean-square deviation between experimentally determined and DFT calculated ¹H-NMR chemical shifts considering the great sensitivity of ¹H-NMR shielding to hydrogen bonding properties.

Accurate ¹H chemical shifts of the –OH groups of polyphenol compounds can be calculated, compared to experimental values, using a combination of DFT, polarizable continuum model (PCM) and discrete solute–solvent hydrogen bond interactions. The study focuses on three molecular solutes: phenol, 4-methylcatechol and the natural product genkwanin in DMSO, acetone, acetonitrile, and chloroform. Excellent linear correlation between experimental and computed chemical shifts (with the GIAO method at the DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,p) level) was obtained with minimization of the solvation complexes at the DFT/B3LYP/6-31+G(d) and DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory with a correlation coefficient of 0.991. The use of the DFT/B3LYP/6-31+G(d) level of theory for minimization could provide an excellent means for the accurate prediction of the experimental OH chemical shift range of over 8 ppm due to: (i) strong intramolecular and solute–solvent intermolecular hydrogen bonds, (ii) flip-flop intramolecular hydrogen bonds, and (iii) conformational effects of substituents of genkwanin. The combined use of ab initio calculations and experimental ¹H chemical shifts of phenol –OH groups provides a method of primary interest in order to obtain detailed structural, conformation and electronic description of solute–solvent interactions at a molecular level.

The assembly of Er³⁺ and Y³⁺ cations with trans,trans-muconic acid affords a photoreactive 3D microporous MOF that, upon UV irradiation, undergoes a cycloaddition reaction (SCSC up to 55%), with in situ formation of a strained ladderane.