The significance of the differences between the dipole moments of saturated and unsaturated substances

Abstract

It has long been known that there are generally differences between the electric dipole moments of corresponding saturated and unsaturated com­pounds, but the full significance of these has not been realised, and in this communication an attempt has been made to correlate them with the states of the molecule and with the chemical properties of the substances. Analysis of the available data, which have been supplemented by measurements of the moments of ortho and meta nitrobenzonitriles, benzyl chloride, benzal chloride, benzotrichloride, and methyl chloroform, does in fact provide definite support for some of the postulates of modern electronic theories of organic reaction.