CHEMICAL APPLICATIONS OF NEUTRON SCATTERING

Neutron scattering represents a versatile technique for chemists, as it explores the structure and dynamics of materials at the atomic scale. This review gives an outline of the neutron scattering formalism and describes diffraction and inelastic and quasielastic scattering techniques. Applications to chemistry are illustrated by examples from recent work on crystalline and liquid organic materials, including heterogeneous systems, bulk polymers and polymer solutions. There is particular emphasis on systems where hydrogen bonding plays a significant role. With more powerful sources and improved instrumentation in prospect, there is considerable potential for future extension of these methods to increasingly complex materials.