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The development of third-generation synchrotron radiation sources has created considerable opportunities for the investigation of systems under extreme sample conditions of pressure and temperature. This paper presents the application of a recently developed pressure cell and pressurization and circulation system to the investigation of the hydrophobic hydration of noble gases by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. This system operates in the pressure range from 1 bar to 1 kbar, and allows for mixing of gaseous and liquid components and the control of the ultimate gas in liquid concentration. First results demonstrate the remarkable resilience of the first hydration shell of a nonpolar solute (krypton) to the application of pressure in the 150 bar to 700 bar range. These results suggest questioning the conclusions of some recent computer simulations, in particular with regards to the potential impact of such studies on our understanding of pressure induced protein denaturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is no accident that the start of the 21st century has seen significant growth in the field of nanotechnology across all the sciences. The nanoscale is the realm of the molecule, where physics, chemistry and biology meet, and where the potential for engineering control of structures containing tens to thousands of atoms is just beginning to be realised. Myriad examples of nanotechnology's existing and potential impact range from the creation of new designer drugs, through the development of hydrogen storage materials, to state-of-the-art silicon technology. This is the science that underpins the rationale for the construction of the near and intermediate range order diffractometer, Nimrod, on the ISIS second target station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an erratum on the study concerning the structure of pure tertiary butanol. Reproduction of the corrected figures; Use of spherical harmonic formalism to extract intermolecular correlations between the two models; Accounts of hydrogen bond interactions in the fixed potential model system.