Sonochemical production of a non-crystalline phase of palladium

A non-crystalline phase of palladium was produced by cavitation technique starting from a solution of palladium acetylacetonate and toluene. The microscopic structure of the sample, a very fine powder, was investigated by X-ray diffraction and it showed the characteristic features of a disordered system. Further details about the phase of the sample were gained by studying the crystallization process induced by thermal treatments.