Molecular polarisability. The conformations of diphenyl ketone, dimesityl ketone, and mesityl phenyl ketone as solutes

Dipole moments and molar Kerr constants (×1012) are recorded for diphenyl ketone (2·98 D, +126), dimesityl ketone (2·84 D, –202), and mesityl phenyl ketone (2·97 D, –165) as solutes in carbon tetrachloride at 25°. For diphenyl ketone and dimesityl ketone the experimental results are consistent with the presence of antisymmetric (C2) solute species in which the effective conformational angles between the planes of the aromatic rings and the C–CO–C plane are 42 and 61°, respectively. Possible conformations of mesityl phenyl ketone are discussed.