Infrared study of the adsorption of C12E5 on silica immersed in carbon tetrachloride

Abstract

Infrared spectra of C₁₂E₅ adsorbed on silica in carbon tetrachloride show that adsorption primarily involves hydrogen bonding between surface silanol groups and oxygen atoms in ethyleneoxy segment of C₁₂E₅ molecules. At low surface coverages every ethyleneoxy segment in each adsorbed molecule is involved in hydrogen bonding with a silanol group. The average number of segments in each adsorbed molecule which are bonded to silanol groups decreases as the coverage of available silanol groups increases. At full coverage ca. 3.5 oxygen atoms in each adsorbed molecule remain hydrogen bonded to the surface.