Effect of Substituents on Electrical Conductivity of Anils

Abstract

THIS communication reports an attempt to approach the problem of electrical conductivity in organic solids from the point of view of classical organic chemistry. A series of anils derived from salicylaldehyde and various meta- and para-substituted anilines (Fig. 1) has been prepared and the electrical conductivities of compressed silver-coated polycrystalline pellets of each species have been measured. Most of these materials showed an observable dark conductivity under vacuum even at temperatures at which they were shown to be essentially nonvolatile. It seems unlikely, therefore, that the conduction process could be described at these temperatures by a surface mechanism such as has been proposed by Eley et al.¹ for volatile organic crystals.