Effective hydrostatic limits of pressure media for high‐pressure crystallographic studies

The behavior of a number of commonly used pressure media, including nitrogen, argon, 2-propanol, a 4:1 methanol–ethanol mixture, glycerol and various grades of silicone oil, has been examined by measuring the X-ray diffraction maxima from quartz single crystals loaded in a diamond-anvil cell with each of these pressure media in turn. In all cases, the onset of non-hydrostatic stresses within the medium is detectable as the broadening of the rocking curves of X-ray diffraction peaks from the single crystals. The onset of broadening of the rocking curves of quartz is detected at ∼9.8 GPa in a 4:1 mixture of methanol and ethanol and at ∼4.2 GPa in 2-propanol, essentially at the same pressures …