Gas-phase acidities of diols

The gas-phase acidities of several α, ω-alkanediols were measured with the equilibrium method in an ion cyclotron resonance spectrometer. The values obtained imply cyclization of the structures via an intramolecular hydrogen bond. The results are in quantitative disagreement with those obtained by the method of dissociation of the excited dimer species; care must be used in applying that method to ensure that all of the criteria for relating kinetics to equilibria are met.