Potential energy barrier determinations for some alkyl nitrites by nuclear magnetic resonance

Abstract

A technique for studying rapid chemical exchange and reorientation reactions by nuclear magnetic resonance techniques is discussed. A treatment for the general case relating the changes in the proton line width with changes in the frequency of rotation about the O - N bond in the alkyl nitrites is developed. Such a treatent gave fairly accurate potential energy barriers to rotation for methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, and isopropyl nitrite. A temperature controlling device for low temperatures applicable to proton resonance techniques is discussed.