Supersonic dispersion in gases. The vibrational activation of the acetaldehyde molecule

Abstract

An investigation of the supersonic dispersion in acetaldehyde vapour was carried out in piezoelectric, magnetostriction and Kundt's tube interferometers over as wide a range of frequency and pressure as possible. Acetaldehyde is found to exhibit a multiple dispersion region which is independently confirmed by absorption measurements. This implies that certain intramolecular vibrations are activated independently.