Equation of state for solid rare gases and alkali metals under pressure

This investigation is based on an atomic equation of state which takes into account the excluded volume of the atom being considered. Study of solid rare gases allows following the packing factor of the solid in equilibrium with the gas at different temperatures and of the solid and the liquid in the case of solid–liquid equilibria. The application of a pressure to the solid up to 9800 MPa allows determining the decrease in atomic volume and thus the compressibility. Such a study leads to proposing a new expression through dividing the pressure derivative (as a function of the excluded volume) by the pressure. This new coefficient is a pressure-independent constant but varies with the atom considered. Multiplied by the initial atomic volume, this coefficient has a unique value for all the rare gases. Furthermore, this is also true for the series of alkali metals with however a lower value of the coefficient. The atomic configurations of the two series are very different with one free electron for the alkali metals but closed shells for the rare gases. The alkali metals are therefore more complex than the rare gases. It is worthwhile to note that study of the equilibrium has not required the use of the principles of thermodynamics.