EXAFS as a tool for bond-length determination in the environment of heavy atoms

Single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements are complicated in the presen ce of heavy atoms. In these cases the structure factors are mainly influenc ed by the heavy scatterers and the error in determination of atomic coordin ates increases for light atoms. The difficulties grow if the unit cell dime nsions or the space group symmetry remain uncertain. If the structure model is similar to the correct structure, it is difficult to find an independen t criterion for the accuracy of the bond-length determination. We demonstra te that extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy is a useful tool for the investigation of local bond lengths in the environment of heavy atoms.