A series of sterically hindered 0-hydroxy aromatic ketones were synthesized, including benzeae, naphthalene, pbeoanthene and pyrene derivatives. Deuterium isotope effects on the 13C chemical shifts of 2-hydroxy-l-acenaphthone and other sterically hindered, intramolcularly hydrogen-bonded aromatic ketones (OH exchanged) are shown to he M U S U~~. The two-bond isotope effects are very large. Likewise are the istope eff& on C-0, C-1, C-3 a d C-4 carbon resonances and some show unltsual signs. These unusual effects 8re e x p l a i d by a higher degree of twist in the deuterio than the protio compound. Steric isotope effects are also observed on OH chemical shifts of sterically hindered o-hydroxy acetyl aromatic compounds deuteriated at the methyl group. These isotope effeets show non-additivity. For one-bond isotope effects, IA"C ( l a 0), hydrogen bonding leads to a decrease, whereas twisting of the carbonyl group leads to an increase. Two hydrogen bonds to the same acceptor has a reduced cumulative effect. Data for sterically hindered, hydrogen-bonded compounds are found to fall outside the correlation between 6(''O) and 1A13C(180).KEY WORDS NMR NMR Isotope effects on "C chemical shifts Deuterium isotope effects "0 isotope effects Intramolecular hydrogen bonding Steric strain Hydrogen bond strength