Complementing diffraction data with volumetric measurements

Abstract

The volumetric measurements in a piston-and-cylinder press have been described as a complementary method for diffraction experiments in a diamond-anvil cell. The measurements can provide precise volume compression data for liquids and solids, including the magnitudes of volume decrement on freezing and solid-solid phase transitions. Details of the experimental setup, its operation, as well as procedures for processing the data and their analysis have been presented for a series of organic compounds. The history of the method has been outlined.