Structures of Liquid Mercury and Dilute Liquid Mercury Alloys

The structures of liquid Hg and the dilute liquid Hg alloys with 0.5 and 2 atomic percent Cd, and 0.5 and 1 atomic percent Pb have been studied by x-ray diffraction using a theta-theta diffractometer with monochromator in the diffracted beam. The addition of 0.5 or 2 atomic percent Cd into Hg did not produce any detectable change in the interference function I {K), where K = 4 ji (sin & ) ß , whereas small additions of Pb seem to reduce the asymmetry of the first peak of 1(K) which is observed in pure Hg. Small additions of Pb also cause a slight shift of the second peak of I ( K ) to smaller X-values. The present results have been used to offer a possible interpretation of the structure of Hg as observed in the liquid state.