Anisotropic compression. What can it teach us about intermolecular interactions?

Abstract

The effect of pressure on solids is often discussed in terms of bulk compressibility. At the same time, for any solids with the crystal structures, the symmetry of which is lower than cubic, it is not sufficient to describe the bulk compressibility alone, since the structural distortion is anisotropic - i.e. depends on the crystallographic direction. The lecture gives a comprehensive introduction into the techniques of studying the strain anisotropy based on diffraction experiments, and illustrates, how the knowledge of the anisotropy of lattice strain may assist in understanding the intermolecular interactions in crystals. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.