Absorption spectrophotometric study of CfCl3 at pressures up to 35 GPa

Abstract Diamond anvil cells have been used for absorption spectrophotometric studies of both PuBr, -type, orthorhombic and UCl3-type, hexagonal CfCl3 as a function of pressure, up to 35 GPa. It was observed that the latter crystallographic form of CfCl3 irreversibly transformed to that of the former on the application of pressure between 22 and 30 GPa. A discussion of the spectral changes that are observed as a function of the applied pressure is given along with a description of possible mechanisms by which the phase transformation can occur.