Alcoholic Compounds–Physical Properties and Classification Categories, Including Monohydric, Dihydric, Polyhydric and Carbohydrate Derivatives

The relationships between molar mass (M), density (ρ), relative static permittivity (εr), and refractive index (n20D ) of alcohol derivatives are investigated. It is important to determine the partial molar concentration of hydroxyl groups (NOH ) and the partial molar concentration of C─H bonds (NC─H ) and their effect on the physical properties of εr and n20D with reference to the Clausius–Mossotti and Lorentz–Lorenz relationships. Unlikeεr, the n20D is a crucial physical criterion for the reliability of the approach. Individual correlations of n20D with NC─H or NO─H are recognized for mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, and polyhydric alcohol derivatives and carbohydrates. When the number of OH groups per molecule exceeds four, nonlinear effects come into play, probably due to polarization effects of the OH group network. The n20Dof carbohydrates is largely determined by the NC─H value. Relationships of the empirical ET(30) polarity parameter of polyhydric alcohols, aqueous carbohydrate solutions, solvent mixtures, and polymers εr are demonstrated.