X-ray diffraction measurements on liquid iodine and some dilute mixtures of KI in I₂

Using X-ray diffraction we have determined the structure factor of pure iodine and of a number of dilute mixtures of KI in I2. We show that these liquids exhibit short-range orientational order, adjacent molecules being orient- ed more or less parallel. The intramolecular bond length in pure liquid iodine is 2·70±0·01 Å, intermediate between the bond lengths of gaseous and solid iodine. Upon addition of KI the bond length increases, while the distances to atoms in the second and third shell decrease. These effects are related to recent high-pressure diffraction measurements on solid iodine.