Dicyclohexylethyleneglycol, -diethyleneglycol, -triethyleneglycol, and related monosubstituted cyclohexanes. Conformational analysis using low-temperature 13C and 1H NMR spectroscopy
Two conformations of each of the title molecules have been detected by 100 MHz 13C NMR at 210 K. For the dicyclohexyl systems, the conformations are related via a single ring inversion. In each case the equatorial–axial conformer is 4.7 ± 0.4 kJ/mol less stable than the diequatorially substituted form in CD2Cl2 solution. For monosubstituted models, the conformational free energy (−ΔG0) values of the -O-CH2-CH2-OCH3, -OCH2-CH2-O-CH2-CH3, and -O-CH2-CH2-O-CH-(CH3)2 groups have been determined to be 5.4,6.1, and 6.1 ± 0.2 kJ/mol, respectively. In methanol, the latter equilibria are slightly more biased towards the axially substituted conformers. Keywords: substituted ethylene glycols, conformational equilibria.