Proton tunnelling in the intramolecular hydrogen bond of 9-Hydroxyphenalenone

Abstract

Inelastic neutron scattering spectra of the 9-hydroxyphenalenone and ring deuterated analogue reveal an intense band at 91 cm−1 with all characteristics anticipated for a tunnelling the transition of a (quasi)symmetric double minimum potential for proton transfer along the intramolecular hydrogen bond. This frequency is compared to those previously reported for similar systems.