Atomic Distributions in Liquid, Plastic, and Crystalline Sulfur

X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained, using improved technique, for liquid sulfur at 80°C (supercooled), 120°C, 165°C, 200°C, 240°C, and 300°C; and for amorphous sulfur at 4°C and for powdered crystalline orthorhombic sulfur at 23°C, confirming reported new details at small angles and extending observations to nearly twice the range of (sinθ)/λ heretofore reported. Atomic distribution curves are presented for all these cases. Nearest neighbor distances and numbers remain constant throughout at 2.07 A and 2 atoms, respectively, but other features of the distribution curves change with temperature. New results with neutron diffraction at 120°C are compared with these x-ray results.