Dynamical Structures of Normal Alkanes, Alcohols, and Fatty Acids in the Liquid State as Determined by Viscosity, Self-Diffusion Coefficient, Infrared Spectra, and 13CNMR Spin-Lattice Relaxation Time Measurements

Abstract

Abstract The dynamical structures of molecules of normal alkanes (C5–C14) and normal fatty acids (C8 and C9) in the liquid state were estimated through analyses of their self-diffusion coefficients (D), viscosities (η), molar volumes, and 13CNMR spin-lattice relaxation time (T1). The apparent hydrodynamic radius evaluated from D and η for the alkanes was ca. 2.5×10−10 m and that for the fatty acids, ca. 3.1×10−10 m, irrespective of their hydrocarbon chain length: The former value is almost equal to that of the van der Waals radius (2.4×10−10 m) of the cross section of a hydrocarbon chain; the latter is in agreement with that of the normal alcohols reported in a previous paper. It is thus concluded that in the pure liquid of a rod-like compound such as normal alkane, alcohol, and fatty acid, the free rotational (end-over-end) as well as the transverse motion of the rod-like molecule is severely restricted due to the entanglements of the molecules; only a longitudinal translation is allowed. In addition, the infrared-spectrum results suggest that a unit in translational motion for a normal fatty acid is a dimer.