Infrared study of three butandiols adsorbed on silica immersed in carbon tetrachloride

Abstract

Infrared spectra are reported of silica immersed in solutions of butan-2,3-diol, butan-1,3-diol and butan-1,4-diol in carbon tetrachloride. Associative adsorption involved the formation of hydrogen bonds between isolated surface silanol groups and either one or both hydroxy groups in each adsorbed molecule. Increasing the separation of the two hydroxy groups in the series of three diols enhanced the proportion of adsorbed molecules for which both groups interacted with the surface. Multilayer adsorption occurred at high concentrations of the diols in solution.