A gas-loading system has been constructed to load diamond-anvil cells with
various kinds of high-pressure gases at room temperature. The gases either
serve as hydrostatic pressure media or samples by themselves. The present h
igh-pressure vessel can accommodate various types of diamond-anvil cells si
mply by changing the holder. The system has been used successfully for high
-pressure powder x-ray diffraction experiments with a helium-pressure mediu
m. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.