Studies in light absorption and the reactions between substituted phenylhydrazines and aromatic alcohols

Abstract

In part I the absorption spectra of a nuraber of substituted benzoic acids and phenyl benzoates are discussed from the point of view of the electrical and steric effect of the substituent. The spectral changes in the B band are correlated with these effects and the orders of magnitude of the inductive and mesomeric effects have been found to be similar to the orders found by chemical measurements. The conjugation of the non-bonded p-electrons of the oxygen-atom in phenyl benzoate with theTr-electrons of the phenyl- group has been investigated. -- Part II consists of a critical survey of past and present theories concerning the oxidation of sugars cind unsaturated alcohols by phenylhydrazine and its derivatives. Some experimental work is described and it is concluded that none of the present theories satisfactorily account for all of the known facts.