The atomic arrangement in solid sodium nitrate at high temperatures

Abstract

Abstract Different possibilities for the arrangement and the constitution of the NO 3 ‐group in the high temperature modification of solid sodium nitrate are considered. From the intensities on X‐ray diagrams both from a powder and from a rotating crystal taken at a temperature just below the melting point of sodium nitrate the plane rotational symmetry of this group is definitely confirmed, while other models are found to be inconsistent with the observations.