Crystallographic Studies of NH4Cl—NH4Br Solid Solutions

Both ammonium chloride and ammonium bromide undergo a transition, with rise in temperature, from an interpenetrating simple cubic (II) to a face-centered cubic (I) lattice at 183 and 137°C, respectively, and both the low- and high-temperature forms give a complete series of solid solutions. We have determined the lattice constants of the high-temperature solids at about 250° as a function of composition, and redetermined the lattice constants of the low-temperature solids at room temperature. The solutions were made by crystallization from water, followed by stirring in contact with mother liquor for at least three weeks at room temperature. Measurements were made with a Norelco- Philips diffractometer and recorder, with Cu Ko. radiation. For the high-temperature work, a simple, inexpensive heating apparatus was developed. The only previous data reported for the high-temperature forms are the lattice constants of the pure components given by Bartlett and Langmuir.The low-temperature solutions showed negative deviations from Vegard's rule at both ends of the concentration range and a slight positive deviation elsewhere when high-angle data were used. The high-temperature solutions showed marked positive deviations from Vegard's rule over the whole compositions range. Values for the pure components agreed reasonably well with those of Bartlett and Langmuir.The progress of the change II → I with time was followed for some of the solutions in the neighborhood of the transition temperature in an attempt to reveal the mechanism of the process.