The Diffraction of X-rays in Liquids containing Heavy Atoms

Abstract

IT is now generally accepted^{1, 2, 3, 4} that X-ray diffraction in liquids is mainly due to the relative positions of the molecules and only in second instance to their inner structure. If the effect of the last factor is known, some information regarding the first factor may be obtained from an analysis of the observed diffraction pattern.³ This circumstance is realised in the case of monatomic molecules, for example, argon, or mercury.^{5, 6} In most cases, however, as when using organic compounds, the inner structure is not known, and then no unequivocal conclusion, or nearly none, may be drawn from the diffraction pattern.