Structural studies of liquid alcohols by neutron diffraction

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Abstract
Neutron diffraction measurements have been made with 0·92 Å neutrons on methyl alcohol at five temperatures from below room temperature to just above the freezing point. Cross sections have been obtained for CD3OD and CD3OH and these data have been combined to give the separated effects due to the hydroxyl components and the non-hydroxyl components of the molecular scattering. The Fourier transformations of the structure factors show both the intra- and the intermolecular distribution functions. Overall trends in r-space show inward movement and narrowing of the intermolecular peaks as the temperature decreases but show no significant change in the molecule. The intermolecular hydroxyl-hydroxyl peak at 2·4 Å appears to decrease in intensity relative to the adjacent intramolecular peaks as the temperature decreases. The rate of shift is in general different for peaks in different regions of r-space.