X-Ray Diffraction Study of Liquid Silicon Tetrachloride

The angular intensity distribution of x rays scattered from liquid SiCl4 has been measured at temperatures of − 65 and + 23°C by use of theta–theta reflection diffractometry. Molecular nearest neighbors reside in two well resolved shells of radii 3.9 and 6.8 Å. There are about 4.25 and 7.5 molecules in the respective shells at the lower temperature, and about 3.75 and 7.0 at the higher temperature. This agrees well with the macroscopic density of the liquid. The inner shell of neighbors is interpreted as resulting from short range orientational effects due primarily to molecular shape.