On the correlation factor of pure polar fluids whose molecules dimerize to nonpolar dimers

Abstract

The dipolar correlation of pure polar fluids whose molecules undergo dimerization, resulting in the formation of nonpolar ring dimers and polar monomers in statistical equilibrium, has been studied. Such a system has been treated as a solution of polar molecules (monomers) in an apolar solvent (dimers). This approach allowed us to introduce a new parameter that accounts for the correlation among polar monomers, besides the well known Kirkwood-Frohlich correlation factor. A relation between the two correlation factors, involving the degree of association, has been established. The above summarized model was applied to the case of five monocarboxylic fatty acids: propionic, n-butyric, n-valeric, caprylic, and pelargonic. On going from high to low molecular mass terms the room temperature static dielectric constant of the considered series of acids increases together with the degree of association, obtained from adiabatic compressibility data on the hypothesis that only dimerization occurs. This behaviour of...