Ultrasonic absorption of the oxyethylene group in aqueous nonelectrolyte solutions

The ultrasonic absorption from 6.5 to 220 MHz and velocities at 2.5 MHz have been measured in aqueous solution of triethylene glycol monobutyl ether as a function of concentration at 25°C. A single relaxational excess absorption, observed from 0.60 to 2.5 mol-dm^–3, is attributed to a perturbation of an equilibrium associated with solute-solvent interaction. Rate constants for the forward and reverse processes have been determined from the concentration dependence of the relaxation frequency, and the influence on the water structure by an addition of the solute has been considered. Solution densities were also measured in order to obtain the expansivity of the solution. The standard volume and enthalpy changes of the reaction have been estimated from the concentration dependence of the maximum excess absorption per wave length. A linear relationship between the number of oxyethylene groups and the free energy change between bonded water and nonbonded water is established.