Density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level was employed to calculate intramolecular hydrogen bond enthalpies (HIHB), O-H charge differences, O-H bond lengths and bond orders for various substituted catechols and their radicals generated after H-abstraction. It was found that although the charge difference between hydrogen-bonded H and O played a role in determining HIHB, HIHB was mainly governed by the hydrogen bond length. As the oxygen-centered radical has great tendency to form a chemical bond with the H atom, hydrogen bond lengths in catecholic radicals are systematically shorter than those in catechols. Hence, the HIHB for the former are higher than those for the latter.