Indications of the magnetic state in the charge distributions of MnO,CoO, and NiO. III. Antiferromagnetism of NiO

X-ray diffraction intensities were measured from antiferromagnetic NiO. The data were submitted to a nonparametric multipole analysis aimed at formulation of experimentally valid statements on the nature of charge distribution. Strong “bonding maxima” appear between the Ni〈100〉O nearest neighbors in the region of the oxygen atoms involving NiO coupling. An electronic cage structure is also observed. This is parallel to the observations on MnO and CoO but different in nature, being formed by separate cubic cages for the cations instead of the oxygen, and without a clear indication of an extended network buildup.