Abstract
The results of studies of the pressure dependence of the structures of YBa2Cu4O8 and La1·85Sr0·15CuO4 are presented. Comparison with the changes observed on oxidation of YBa2Cu3O7-δ show that the large dTc/dp in YBa2Cu4O8 can be attributed to charge transfer. By contrast the the behaviour of La1·85Sr0·15CuO4 shows no evidence of charge transfer.