Macroscopic separation of dense fluid phase and liquid phase of phosphorus

Structural transformation between a dense molecular fluid and a polymeric liquid of phosphorus that occurred at about 1 gigapascal and 1000degreesC was investigated by in situ x-ray radiography. When the low-pressure fluid was compressed, dark and round objects appeared in the radiograph. X-ray diffraction measurements confirmed that these objects were the high-pressure liquid. The drops grew and eventually filled the sample space. Decompressing caused the reverse process. The macroscopic phase separation supported the existence of a first-order phase transition between two stable disordered phases besides the liquid-gas transition. X-ray absorption measurements revealed that the change in density at the transition corresponds to about 40% of the density of the high-pressure liquid.