Collective dynamics of sub- and supercritical methanol by inelastic X-ray scattering

Inelastic X-ray scattering experiments have been performed on methanol as a function of density from ambient to the supercritical state. Positive dispersion of the sound velocity, as compared to the hydrodynamic values, is ∼50% in the ambient condition and decreases to zero at 0.50 g cm−3 over the momentum transfer Q = 1–10 nm−1 with lowering density; however, it increases again with a further decrease in density down to 0.20 g cm−3 in the supercritical state only in the Q-range above ∼5 nm−1. These results have been interpreted as the formation of small oligomers in the low-density supercritical methanol.