The Electron Diffraction Investigation of the Molecular Structures of themesoand Racemic 2,3-Dibromobutanes

Abstract

The recent electron diffraction investigations of the structures of some ethylene halides by Beach and co-workers have provided considerable information regarding the magnitude of the repulsive forces acting between halogen atoms attached to adjacent carbon atoms. In order to extend the work of Beach to the study of the interactions of the methyl group with other methyl groups and with bromine atoms attached to adjacent carbon atoms, meso and racemic 2,3-dibromobutane were selected for electron diffraction investigation. It was hoped that the quite different chemical properties of this pair of molecules might result from an appreciable difference in the relative orientations of the “isopropyl bromide” groups about the 2,3 carbon-carbon single bond, inasmuch as these molecules would be expected to show structural differences in only this respect.