Investigations of infra-red spectra (2.5—7.5<i>µ</i>). Absorption of water

Abstract

During recent years much information has been obtained concerning the infra-red absorption of hydroxy bodies in the region about 3 µ number of investigators (Errera and Mollet 1936; Errera 1937 a ; Buswell, Deitz and Rodebush 1937; Buswell, Rodebush and Roy 1938; Davies and Sutherland 1938 a, b ; Fox and Martin 1937) have shown that at low concentrations in carbon tetrachloride a hydroxy body, whether an alcohol, phenol or carboxylic acid, has a sharp OH band at 2.75-2.83 µ , and as the concentration increases this band diminishes rapidly and is replaced by a wide intense band at longer wave-lengths, 3 µ and higher. The sharp band is due to the valency O-H vibration in the monomer, while at higher concentrations the molecules interfere with one another and modify the nature of the O-H vibrations in a manner which depends somewhat on the nature of the compound concerned.