Intramolecular and liquid structure of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol by X-ray diffraction

Intramolecular and liquid structure of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) have been investigated by x-ray diffraction at 25°C. The structural parameters for the skeleton of the molecules in the liquid phase are similar to those in the gas phase. The conformers of TFE molecules in the liquid phase are discussed. The O...O distance at about 284 pm and additional F...O one at about 302 pm were found to be characteristic for the first neighbor interactions. Various models (dimers and trimers) have been examined for analyzing the first neighbor structure. The liquid structure was explained in terms of small clusters consisting of two to three molecules rather than of a more extended polymeric network.Central Research Institute for Chemistry of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, P. O. Box 17, H-1525, Hungary.