M. Romanini, Efstratia Mitsari, P. Tripathi
Feb 22, 2018
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Journal
Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Abstract
The molecular dynamics in the ambient-pressure solid phase of 1,1,2-trichloroethane is studied by means of broadband dielectric spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. The dielectric spectra of polycrystalline samples obtained by crystallization from the liquid phase exhibit, besides a space-charge relaxation associated with accumulation of charges at crystalline domain boundaries, two loss features arising from dipolar molecular relaxations. The most prominent and slower of the two loss features is identified as a configurational leap of the molecules which involves a simultaneous change in spatial orientation and structural conformation, namely between two isomeric forms (gauche+ and gauche–) of opposite chirality. In this peculiar dynamic process, the positions of the three chlorine atoms in the crystal lattice remain unchanged, while those of the carbon and hydrogen atoms are modified. This dynamic process is responsible for the disorder observed in an earlier X-ray diffraction study and conf...