Molecular association of alkyl methacrylates and alcohols in non-polar solvents: Dielectric study

Experimental results of dielectric investigations at 9.84 GHz for alkyl methacrylates (methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate) with alcohols (1-butanol, secbutanol, tert-butanol and 1-decanol) have been studied in carbon tetrachloride and benzene at 298, 303, 313 and 323 K. The relaxation time and the thermodynamical parameters, viz., free energy, enthalpy and entropy of activation have been determined using the measured dielectric data. The results show a linear dependence of relaxation time on alkyl chain length of both alcohols and alkyl methacrylates and also on the nature of the solvent. Comparative study of free energy of activation for the dielectric relaxation and viscous flow suggest the fact that the process of viscous flow involves greater interference by neighbors than does dielectric relaxation, as the latter takes place by rotation only whereas the viscous flow involves both the rotational and translational forms of motion. The thermodynamic parameter shows negative value which indicates that the reaction is forward and exothermic.