THE STUDY OF HYDROGEN BONDING AND RELATED PHENOMENA BY SPECTROSCOPIC METHODS: PART IX. THE ULTRAVIOLET ABSORPTION SPECTRUM OF 3-TRIFLUOROMETHYL-2- NITROPHENOL
The ultraviolet and infrared spectra of 3-trifluoromethyl-2-nitrophenol (I) and of a number of reference compounds have been determined. The transitions which give rise to the observed absorption bands, as well as the effect of steric and electronic interactions on these transitions, are discussed.Remarkable spectral changes are observed for compound I on altering the solvent from cyclohexane to polar solvents such as ether, ethanol, and water. In cyclohexane solution, there is evidence for steric interactions and for relatively weak intramolecular hydrogen bonding. In polar solvents, rupture of the intramolecular hydrogen bond occurs because solvent molecules attach themselves to the functional groups, and particularly to the phenolic OH group. This, in turn, causes the NO2 group to be twisted out of the plane of the benzene ring.