Proton tunnelling in the intramolecular hydrogen bond of 9-Hydroxyphenalenone

Inelastic neutron scattering spectra of the 9-hydroxyphenalenone and ring deuterated analogue reveal an intense band at 91 cm21 with all characteristics anticipated for a tunnelling the transition of a (quasi)symmetric double minimum potential for proton transfer along the intramolecular hydrogen bond. This frequency is compared to those previously reported for similar systems. q 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved