X-RAY DIFFRACTION MEASUREMENTS FOR EXPANDED LIQUID MERCURY AROUND THE METAL- NONMETAL TRANSITION REGION

Abstract
The energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements for expanded liquid Hg have been carried out for the first time in the density region from 13.55 to 8.78 g/cm³ including the metal-nonmetal transition region. It was found that the volume expansion of liquid Hg in the metallic region, namely down to the reduced density of about 10 g/cm³ , is not accompanied by a uniform increase of interatomic distance, r₁, but mainly caused by a decrease of coordination number, N₁. When the transition region is approached the decrease of N₁ becomes rather small and r¹ starts to elongate.