The dielectric absorption at several microwave frequencies of liquid ethylbenzene, isopropylbenzene, and phenyltrimethylsilane at 15, 37.5, and 50°C and cyclohexane solutions of t-butylbenzene and benzotrichloride at 15, 37.5,45, and 50 "C has been examined. Benzotrichloride has also been studied in cyclohexane and p-xylene solution at 25 "C. Only molecular reorientation can be detected for benzotrichloride, whereas the remainder are all characterized by an absorption that may be analyzed into two relaxation times, one associated with molecular reorientation (r,) and a shorter relaxation time (r,) which appears to be attributable to an intermolecular process. The enthalpies of activation of the rl process show the expected increase with increasing molecular size, while n o temperature dependence is detectable for the shorter relaxation process. Previous work (1, 2) has shown that the mean relaxation times of o-xylene, m-xylene, toluene, and ethyl-, isopropyl-, and t-butyl-benzene were short in comparison with those of rigid molecules of similar shape and size (2, 3). The dielectric absorption of these alkylbenzenes at 25 "C and 1-methyl-and 2-methyl-naphthalene at 50 "C was analyzed in terms of molecular reorientation and also a short relaxation time process. Furthermore, the mean relaxation times of some phenyl-substituted compounds were found to be significantly short (4), indicating a large contribution to the absorption from some short relaxation time process (z, ). Two explanations have been considered to explain T,: (a) an intermolecular process, e.g. the decay of some form of charge distortion resulting from molecular collisions, or (b) an intramolecular relaxation process involving rotation about the alkyl-aryl bond in which the overlap of the alkyl group orbitals with the TC electrons of the ring might vary. This would cause some movement of charge to and fro between the n-electron cloud of the phenyl group and the alkyl group during rotation, and implies oscillation of negative charge. The weight of evidence favored mechanism (a). However, it seemed worthwhile examining the dielectric absorption of phenyltrimethylsilane and ethyl-, isopropyl-, and t-butylbenzene over a temperature range in order to obtain the enthalpies of activation AH,' , AH, *, and AH,* associated with the mean relaxation time, T, and T, respectively, and also to determine whether the weight factor of the shorter relaxation process was temperature dependent, the main aim being to gain more information on the characteristics of the T, process.
Experimental MethodsThe preparation of phenyltrimethylsilane and the purification of cyclohexane, p-xylene, and ethyl-, isopropyl-, and t-butyl-benzene have been described elsewhere (1, 4, 5). Benzotrichloride was dried over calcium chloride and fractionally distilled using a 30 theoretical plate spinning band column. A small center fraction was collected and the purity confirmed by gas-liquid chromatography.The apparatus and techniques employed have been described previously (5, 6). The dielec...