Liquid carbon tetrachloride: Atom pair correlation functions from neutron and x-ray diffraction

Neutron and x-ray diffraction data for liquid CCl4 at 20 °C are presented and analyzed to yield structure and correlation functions for C–Cl and Cl–Cl atom pairs in different molecules. In the liquid, a central molecule is interlocked with four of its nearest neighbors and this arrangement explains the strong orientational correlations that exist over short radial distances. The data are sufficiently accurate to provide a sensitive test for molecular theories of the liquid state and for intermolecular force models in computer experiments.