The Chemistry of Diamonds

IntroductionDiamonds are found 100 miles down into the Earth’s crust. Diamond is the hardest mineral. It is a 10 on Mohs’ hardness scale. Only a diamond can cut other diamonds. Diamonds are formed from carbon and the atoms attach as a three-dimensional form. The weight of a diamond is measured in carats. Diamonds are graded by clarity, color, carat, and cut. Clarity is how the diamond looks when looking at it to see if there are any imperfections which could be a dark spot, or look like a feather or cloud. A diamond’s main color is white and sometimes they can be slightly colored due to the temperature, pressure or other elements. Colorless diamonds are rare and worth the most. A diamond’s measurement is based on weight which is called a carat. As the weight of a diamond goes up the carat and worth goes up most of the time. A diamond has to be cut with tiny polished faces to turn it into the diamond you would see in a ring. There are 3 different depth cuts. There is the shallow cut where light strikes it and goes out the side. There is the deep cut will get lost in the pavilion the lower slanted part of the stone. The third cut is the ideal cut which reflects the light back after entering the diamond which causes it to sparkle.

I chose diamonds because I love looking at them and would like to own many as they tend to go up in value. Also, some girls are not diamond lovers, but I am. Of all things to spend my money on, I think the best thing I have bought is my ring with diamonds in it.

My life is affected by diamonds because one day my fiance will put a big diamond ring on my empty left ring finger. They can be cut in different shapes to meet ones personal liking. Besides the obvious, diamonds are used in tools to cut things. For example, in my house we have stone and a diamond blade was used to cut it. When it comes to the roads we drive on or the house we live in a diamond blade was used to cut the bricks and in construction to cut stone, asphalt and concrete. Diamonds are used as an abrasive due to the hardness of it. Diamonds are also in large steel drill bits used to drill into rocks to look for oil, natural gas, and water for wells.

Composition of ...

Diamonds are made of carbon atoms. They are linked together by a three dimensional cris-cross pattern of triangles.

Main Chemicals, Compounds, Components

Natural diamonds can be found in about 35 different countries. South Africa, Russia, and Botswana are big producers for quality diamonds. The biggest industrial diamond producer is Australia. The U.S. uses the most diamonds for industrial machines. The first producer for commercial diamonds was India. Diamonds form with high pressure and heat. They are formed between 150 km and 200km under the earths surface. The temperatures range from 900 to 1300 degrees Celsius. Diamonds come to the surface by a volcano erupting and the diamonds going through the pipes and channels which contains the magma. The diamonds are in the magma and deposited on the surface. Then the diamonds are found and mined. Also, the Kimberlite rock contains many diamonds and is usually found in the earliest pipes in volcanoes. Years of erosion have spread diamonds into rivers, streams and the sea.

The main component in diamonds is carbon. Carbon is a natural occurring element. A person could create a fake diamond but it would not be worth the same amount of money.

Resources

http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photodiamond.html

          • The formation and Moh's hardness scale
          • Where diamonds form
          • Uses of diamonds and where they are located

http://geology.com/articles/diamond-information/

          • four C’s of diamonds
          • top consumer and first commercial producer

http://www.myjewelrysource.com/toplevelpages/diamond_definitions.htm

          • information on the four C’s

http://www.ehow.com/about_5431862_diamonds-used-today.html

          • uses of diamonds

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_blade

          • info on blade - what it cuts
          • about different blades

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-are-diamonds-formed.html

          • how diamonds are formed
          • top producers

About the Author

Josie Van Vleet