Since the infrared OH stretching band position is highly sensitive to its electronic environment and has minimal mixing with lower frequency vibrations, the FTIR spectra of primary alcohols in cyclohexane solution typically have two distinct 'free' OH bands.  These are assigned to stable structures with the two possible OH rotamer types where the OH bond is staggered either between two CC bonds (lower frequency band) or between a CH and a CC bond (higher frequency band).  Our group has measured the OH stretching bands of very dilute solutions of primary alcohols from ethanol to 1-docosanol in cyclohexane to examine the effect of increasing chain length on the two 'free' OH bands.

Comparison of infrared OH stretching bands in short-chain and long-chain primary alcohols

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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