Hydrogen bond CH…O in liquid methanol

Abstract

The possibility of hydrogen bond formation by the methanol molecule methyl group is studied. The vibrational frequencies of free CH 3OH molecules, as well as of the molecule forming OH…O and CH…O bonds, are calculated. Based on the results obtained, the analysis of the experimentally observed differences between the stretching vibration spectra of gaseous and liquid methanol is performed. This shows that the spectral differences under investigation may be due to the formation of CH…O bonds in liquid phase. The strength of these bonds is an order of magnitude smaller than the strength of OH…O bonds in the same system.