Steric effects on the self-association of branched and cyclic alcohols in inert solvents. Apparent heat capacities of secondary and tertiary alcohols in hydrocarbons

Apparent heat capacities have been measured for fifteen branched and cyclic alcohols in dilute n-decane solution at 25 °C. The alcohols were 2-methyl-2-propanol, cyclohexanol, 3-methyl-3-pentanol, trans-, cis-, and mixed isomer 2-methylcyclohexanol, 1-methylcyclohexanol, 3-ethyl-3-pentanol, cyclooctanol, 3,7-dimethyl-1-octanol, 5-decanol, 4-propyl-4-heptanol, cyclododecanol, 5-butyl-5-nonanol, and 8-hexadecanol (in n-hexane). Excess heat capacities CpE throughout the concentration range were measured at 25 °C for: 1-hexanol + n-hexadecane (n-C16) and + 2,2,4,4,6,8,8-heptamethylnonane (br-C16), 4-propyl-4-heptanol, and 1-decanol + n-decane, 3-methyl-3-pentanol + n-C16 and + br-C16 and at 27 °C for cyclohexanol + n-C16 and + br-C16. Also, for 3-methyl-3-pentanol + n-decane CpE was measured at 10, 25, 40, and 50 °C. For a series of isomeric alcohols, the apparent molar heat capacities show a maximum against concentration which decreases and moves to higher alcohol concentration as the hydroxyl group on the alcohol becomes increasingly hindered, effectively reducing the alcohol self-association capabilities. This situation is also reflected by the heat capacities of the pure alcohols which increase strongly in magnitude in going from a linear 1-alcohol to an isomeric alcohol which has its hydroxyl group on a quaternary carbon atom. CpE of the mixtures are negative at low alcohol concentrations turning positive at increasingly higher alcohol concentrations as the steric hindrance on the hydroxyl group increases. Throughout most of the concentration range CpE for the branched or cyclic alcohols is considerably more positive than for the corresponding isomeric 1 -alcohol. For the highly hindered 3-methyl-3-pentanol CpE(T) passes through a maximum. All of the above behaviour is explained by the Treszczanowicz–Kehiaian model for self-associated liquids + inert solvents which has been applied to the present data. Equilibrium constants have been obtained for alcohol association and are sensitive to alcohol structure. At low alcohol concentrations, while for the linear 1-alcohols tetramers are the predominant species and dimer are almost absent, for the corresponding isomeric alcohols the concentration of tetramers is severely reduced and the lower species, i.e. trimers and dimers, are more important. For the highly hindered alcohols, monomers are the predominant species in dilute solution reflecting the decrease in self-association ability that steric hindrance of the hydroxyl group imposes on them.