Far Ultra-Violet Absorption Spectra of Hydrogen-bonded Methanol

Abstract

MANY examples of changes in ultra-violet absorption spectra attributable to hydrogen bonding have been reported and summarized by Ito¹. However, in few of these cases has the change in absorptivity been as pronounced as in the infra-red O–H stretching vibrations. The reason for this is probably due to the fact that the transitions responsible for the ultra-violet absorption have not been localized in that portion of the molecule most directly affected by the hydrogen bond. In this communication attention is directed to ultra-violet absorption bands of alcohols that vary drastically with concentration and probably arise from excitation of lone-pair electrons on an oxygen atom acting as a proton acceptor².