X-Ray Diffraction Investigation of Oleic Acid under High Pressure

Pressure has a specific influence on the light scattering in those liquids in which all molecules have an unsaturated double bond C=C. Strong changes of intensity of transmitted and scattered light in oleic acid were observed during its transition to the high-pressure phase. In this paper, local order in liquid of oleic acid has been studied using the X-ray diffraction photographic Laue method. Experiments were run at room temperature under atmospheric pressure as well as under pressures up to 0.25 GPa. At pressures above 0.2 GPa a strong increase of ordering of molecules, similar to a smectic liquid crystal phase, has been observed. This confirms results obtained previously by studies of light scattering under high pressure.