Abstract
The interactions of the surface hydroxyl groups on amorphous silica with two series of adsorbates, the methylbenzenes and the chloromethanes, have been studied. A correlation is demonstrated between the frequency shifts of the surface hydroxyl stretching vibration and the ionization potential of the adsorbate. A similar correlation is found for the interaction of the hydroxyl group of a carbinol with the methylbenzene series. The importance of charge‐transfer interaction in hydrogen bonding, which is indicated by these correlations, is discussed.