Crystal Structure of Cubic Deuterium Chloride

Abstract

IN an earlier communication¹ we stated that the X-ray powder diffraction pattern of solid deuterium chloride recorded at 118.5° K and the corresponding neutron powder diffraction pattern recorded at 111.5° K showed the same set of lines, confirming that the face centred cubic unit cell derived from the X-ray diffraction pattern was the true unit cell of the structure. Further analysis of the two diffraction patterns led to the conclusion that the observed face centred cubic structure was the statistical average of a disordered structure. The neutron diffraction pattern available at that time, however, did not provide enough information to determine the exact nature of the disorder.