X-ray absorption of bromonaphthalene dissolved in supercritical fluid xenon

The results of Br K-edge X-ray absorption measurements of 1-­bromonaphthalene dissolved in supercritical fluid Xe are reported. As the pressure of Xe confined in a high-pressure cell is increased, the absorption spectrum of bromonaphthalene gradually appears, showing that Xe in the supercritical fluid state solvates the bromonaphthalene molecule. The spectrum of the dissolved sample shows a remarkable difference from that of the pure liquid sample in the near-edge region of the X-ray absorption spectrum, reflecting the interaction of the solute material with solvent Xe. Ab initio full multiple-scattering calculations can reproduce the spectral features qualitatively. A large value of the Debye–Waller factor must be introduced to give the best fit, corresponding to a large degree of spatial disorder and violent thermal vibration of the Xe atoms around the Br atom.