Ultrasonic attenuation spectra, the shear viscosity, and the mutual diffusion coefficient of the n-pentanol-nitromethane mixture of critical composition have been measured at different temperatures near the critical temperature. The noncritical background contribution, proportional to frequency, to the acoustical attenuation-per-wavelength spectra has been determined and subtracted from the total attenuation to yield the critical contribution. When plotted versus the reduced frequency, with the relaxation rate of order-parameter fluctuations from the shear viscosity and diffusion coefficient measurements, the critical part in the sonic attenuation coefficient displays a scaling function which nicely fits to the data for the critical system 3-methylpentane-nitromethane and also to the empirical scaling function of the Bhattacharjee-Ferrell dynamic scaling theory. The scaled half-attenuation frequency follows from the experimental data as Omega(1/2)emp= 1.8+/-0.1. The relaxation rate of order-parameter fluctuation shows power-law behavior with the theoretically predicted universal exponent and the extraordinary high amplitude Gammao= (187+/-2) x 10(9) s(-1). The amount of the adiabatic coupling constant /g/= 0.03, as estimated from the amplitude of the critical contribution to the acoustical spectra, is unusually small.

Shear viscosity and dynamic light scattering measurements as well as ultrasonic spectrometry studies of the nitroethane/3-methylpentane mixture of critical composition have been performed at various temperatures near the critical temperature, T(c). A combined evaluation of the shear viscosity and mutual diffusion coefficient data yielded the amplitude, xi(0), of the fluctuation correlation length, xi, assumed to follow power law, and the relaxation rate, Gamma, or order parameter fluctuations. The latter was found to follow power law with the theoretical universal exponent. The amplitudes xi(0) = 0.23 +/- 0.02 nm and Gamma(0) = (125 +/- 5) x 10(9) s(-1) nicely agree with literature values. Using the relaxation rates resulting from the viscosity and diffusion coefficient data, the scaling function has been calculated assuming the ultrasonic spectra to be composed of a critical part and a noncritical background contribution. The experimental scaling function fits well to the predictions of the Bhattacharjee-Ferrell dynamic scaling model with scaled half-attenuation frequency, Omega(BF)1/2= 2.1. The amplitude of the sonic spectra yields the amount |g| = 0.26 of the adiabatic coupling constant, g, in fair agreement with -0.29 from another thermodynamic relation.

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The hydrodynamical equations and the notion of a frequency dependent complex specific heat near the critical point of binary liquids are used to obtain an expression for the low-frequency bulk viscosity. In this way the interrelations between different theoretical models, treating the critical sound attenuation from either a specific heat or a bulk viscosity approach, are made evident. The general structure of the bulk viscosity relation agrees with that of Onuki [Phys. Rev. E 55, 403 (1997)] but a universal number emerges only if a normalization to the critical point value is done.

The shear viscosity eta(s), mutual diffusion coefficient D, and ultrasonic attenuation spectra of the nitroethane-cyclohexane mixture of critical composition have been measured at various temperatures near the critical temperature T(c). The relaxation rate of order parameter fluctuations resulting from a combined evaluation of the eta(s) and D data follows power law behavior with the theoretical exponent and with the large amplitude Gamma(o)=(156+/-2)x10(9) s(-1). The ultrasonic spectra have been evaluated in terms of a critical contribution and a noncritical background contribution. The amplitude of the former exhibits a temperature dependence, in conformity with a temperature dependence in the adiabatic coupling constant (|g| = 0.064 near T(c) and 0.1 at T-T(c)=3 K). If the variation of the critical amplitude with T is taken into account the experimental attenuation coefficient data display a scaling function which nicely fits to the theoretical prediction from the Bhattacharjee-Ferrell dynamic scaling model [R. A. Ferrell and J. K. Bhattacharjee, Phys. Rev. A 31, 1788 (1985)].