On the visco-elastic and dielectric behaviour of two alcohols and their binary mixture

Abstract

Inter-molecular and intra-molecular interactions in liquids determine the physical properties of the systems. These interactions are understood through the measurement of these physical properties. These become especially important in the case of alcohols in view of the specific type of interactions involved. Study of the variation of dielectric relaxation time with the viscosity of the medium is relevant in drawing certain quantitative conclusions regarding molecular motion and the inter-molecular forces in liquids, liquid mixtures, dilute solutions and multi-component polar solutes in dilute solution. In the absence of a perfect empirical or theoretical equation for the variation of dielectric relaxation time with viscosity, the experimental investigations on different systems can only give an insight. In the present study, the results of dielectric measurements carried out on pure samples of methyl alcohol and propyl alcohol in dilute solutions in different mixed solvents (benzene þ paraffin) and on binary mixture (1 : 1) of methyl alcohol þ propyl alcohol are reported. Different parameters determined are presented and these studies indicate that the dielectric behaviour at microwave frequencies favour the concept of dynamic viscosity and a single visco-elastic relaxation time for the systems under study.