Solvate structures in water-methanol solutions of MRI contrast agents: electron spin echo envelope modulation in gadolinium chelates.

Electron Spin Echo Envelope Modulation (ESEEM) data are reported for three gadolinium (III) chelates, Gd-EDTA, Gd-DTPA, and Gd-TTHA, in frozen D2O/CH3OD glasses. This series includes Gd-DTPA, an MRI contrast agent that is in clinical use. Three-pulse electron spin echo modulation patterns can be modeled to yield geometrical information; e.g., distances and numbers of Gd+3-OD interactions. Interpreted by a spherical shell model, the data for Gd-TTHA are accounted for by Gd+3 surrounded by seven deuterons at an effective distance of 3.9 A. We attribute these deuterons to second-coordination sphere solvent molecules, since it is likely that Gd+3 is fully coordinated by a TTHA ligand. For analysis of ESEEM from Gd-EDTA and Gd-DTPA, the second-sphere structures of Gd-EDTA, Gd-DTPA, and Gd-TTHA are assumed equivalent. 2H-ESEEM from inner-sphere solvent molecules gives the effective distance between deuterons and Gd+3 to be approximately 2.7 A for the inner-sphere water in both EDTA and DTPA complexes. The results of simulations also give the isotropic hyperfine and quadrupole coupling constants for solvent deuterium in these systems. Possible sources of error in the determination of r and q by this method are discussed.