Knowledge Bank

Several authors have attempted to infer the relative extents of inter and intra molecular hydrogen bonding in various carbohydrates from the distribution of -OH stretch bands and the size of frequency shifts observed on cooling. This study examines a somewhat larger number of compounds and plots temperature shifts versus room temperature frequencies. The resulting curve is relatively continuous and its shape can be explained in terms of Lippincott-Finch-Schroeder type potentials without any reference to the inter or intra molecular nature of the bonds.