Diluting the hydrogen bonds in viscous solutions of n-butanol with n-bromobutane: II. A comparison of rotational and translational motions

Mixtures of the monohydroxy alcohol n-butanol with n-bromobutane are investigated via dielectric and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. Static-and pulsed-field gradient proton NMR yielded self-diffusion coefficients as a function of concentration and temperature. To monitor reorientational motions, broadband dielectric and (13)C-spin relaxation time measurements were carried out. The latter demonstrate that the structural relaxation stems from the motion of the alkyl chains. By combining data from translational diffusion coefficients with published shear viscosities, hydrodynamic radii were determined that compare favorably with the van der Waals radii of single molecules. The results for the neat alcohol and for the binary mixtures are discussed with respect to a recent transient chain model. The approach of Debye and structural relaxation times at high temperatures, identified as a general feature of monohydroxy alcohols, is also discussed within that framework. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3549123]