Critical fluctuations near the consolute point of n-pentanol-nitromethane. An ultrasonic spectrometry, dynamic light scattering, and shear viscosity study

Abstract

Ultrasonic attenuation spectra, the shear viscosity, and the mutual diffusion coefficient of the n-pentanol-nitromethane mixture of critical composition have been measured at different temperatures near the critical temperature. The noncritical background contribution, proportional to frequency, to the acoustical attenuation-per-wavelength spectra has been determined and subtracted from the total attenuation to yield the critical contribution. When plotted versus the reduced frequency, with the relaxation rate of order-parameter fluctuations from the shear viscosity and diffusion coefficient measurements, the critical part in the sonic attenuation coefficient displays a scaling function which nicely fits to the data for the critical system 3-methylpentane-nitromethane and also to the empirical scaling function of the Bhattacharjee-Ferrell dynamic scaling theory. The scaled half-attenuation frequency follows from the experimental data as Omega(1/2)(emp)=1.8+/-0.1. The relaxation rate of order-parameter fluctuation shows power-law behavior with the theoretically predicted universal exponent and the extraordinary high amplitude Gamma(o)=(187+/-2)x10(9) s(-1). The amount of the adiabatic coupling constant \g\=0.03, as estimated from the amplitude of the critical contribution to the acoustical spectra, is unusually small. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.