The structure of the molecular liquids carbon monoxide (CO) and nitric oxide (NO) as determined by neutron scattering

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Abstract
We have studied the structure of liquid carbon monoxide (CO) and nitric oxide (NO) at a temperature of 120K using the LAD time-of-flight diffractometer at the ISIS pulsed neutron source. In the case of NO we used two samples, one 14NO and one 15NO, in order to obtain more information on the partial structure factors than would be possible from just one. The structure of CO at a relatively low density is found to be described well by a simple hard sphere model. Comparison with a computer simulation suggests that orientational correlations become important at higher densities. We confirm that NO exists predominantly as a dimer in the liquid state. Our results are consistent with the usual cis-planar model of the dimer.