tance of the results obtained by MM. Dumas and Stass completely justified the use of such exceptional fuel.
It
is very probable that the absolutely pure diamond consists exclusively
of carbon ; but perfectly pure diamonds are very rare. All those burned
by MM. Dumas and Stass left a residuum or ash, if we may call it so,
sometimes in the form of a spongy network of a reddish-yellow colour,
sometimes as crystalline particles of a straw-yellow colour, sometimes
as colourless and crystalline fragments. This residuum varied from
1/500 to 1/1000 of the weight of the diamond employed.
It
used to be believed that the diamond could be consumed only with great
difficulty. This error is corrected by one of the most fascinating
experiments of chemistry. It was first performed by M.
