Abstract
A review of recently developed methods to study the structural properties of simple molecular solids under pressures up to the megabar range using synchrotron X-ray diffraction techniques is presented. This includes the growth of single-crystals at high pressure and temperature conditions and the use of He as pressure-transmitting medium. The application of these methods to solid O2 and CO2 is then presented as illustrative examples, showing how they enabled to solve long-standing debates on the structure of the high-pressure crystalline phases of these compounds.
© 2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
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