Electron Diffraction Studies of Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde and Acetone

Abstract

The molecular structures of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone have been investigated by the sector-microphotometer method of electron diffraction. Certain of the bonded interatomic distances, rg, were determined to be as follows: for formaldehyde, r(C–O)=1.2093±0.0033 Å and r(C-H)=1.0967±0.0535 Å; for acetaldehyde, r(C=O)=1.2085±0.0033 Å and r(C–C)=1.5142±0.0051 Å; for acetone, r(C=O)=1.2110±0.0041 Å and r(C–C)=1.5167±0.0048 Å. The value of rg(C=O) for formaldehyde was perfectly consistent wth the zero-point average distance, rz(C=O), determined by microwave spectroscopy.