Molecular interaction of 3-bromoanisole and methanol: insights from the refractive index at different temperatures

The study of refractive index for binary mixtures offers valuable insights into molecular interactions such as H-bonding or dipole-dipole interactions. These informations are beneficial in the fields of physical chemistry and chemical engineering. The experimental refractive index for binary mixtures of 3-bromoanisole (3-BA) and methanol (MeOH) at four distinct temperatures (293.15, 303.15, 313.15 and 323.15 K) were determined. Various mixing rules were utilized to predict the refractive index of a mixture, taking into account the refractive indices of the individual components and their respective volume fractions. Additionally, experimental values of the refractive index were used to derive the excess refractive index ( \(\:{\text{n}}_{\text{D}}^{\text{E}}\) ) and electronic polarization (αe) of the mixtures. The excess refractive index was then modelled using a Redlich-Kister (RK) type polynomial equation. The refractive index exhibits non-linear behaviour in response to changes in concentration, which is attributed to molecular interactions.