SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF ALCOHOLS: VI. INTRAMOLECULAR HYDROGEN BONDS IN ETHANOLAMINE AND ITS <i>O</i>- AND <i>N</i>-METHYL DERIVATIVES

Abstract

The competitive intramolecular [Formula: see text] hydrogen bonding in ethanolamine and N-methylethanolamine has been studied in dilute C 2 Cl 4 solution by means of the temperature dependence of the fundamental OH and NH stretching bands. Of the three conformers identified for each of these compounds, the least stable shows a distinct band which is assigned to a "terminal" OH group involved in an intramolecular [Formula: see text] hydrogen bond. Enthalpy differences between conformers are reported and discussed, and compared with those found for the conformational equilibria in 2-methoxyethylamine and N,N-dimethyl-ethanolamine.