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X-ray and electron scattering from free gas-phase molecules is examined using the independent atom model (IAM) andab initioelectronic structure calculations. The IAM describes the effect of the molecular geometry on the scattering, but does not account for the redistribution of valence electrons due to, for instance, chemical bonding. By examining the total,i.e.energy-integrated, scattering from three molecules, fluoroform (CHF₃), 1,3-cyclohexadiene (C₆H₈) and naphthalene (C₁₀H₈), the effect of electron redistribution is found to predominantly reside at small-to-medium values of the momentum transfer (q≤ 8 Å⁻¹) in the scattering signal, with a maximum percent difference contribution at 2 ≤q≤ 3 Å⁻¹. A procedure to determine the molecular geometry from the large-qscattering is demonstrated, making it possible to more clearly identify the deviation of the scattering from the IAM approximation at small and intermediateqand to provide a measure of the effect of valence electronic structure on the scattering signal.