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HOW TO MAKE SYNTHETIC DIAMONDS
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possible in various acid solutions. The search for diamonds was then begun in the black carbon dust.
After
two days of searching with microscopes by the assistants and students
interested in this work we were rewarded for our labors. Two stones
were found, which, after being tested were found to be pure transparent
diamonds of the finest quality. These diamonds, although quite small,
were the largest synthetic diamonds on record.
Since
that time, McPherson College chemistry students have continued the
experiments using different forms of carbon, different metals and
alloys as solvents for the carbon, and different methods of procedure.
Some
of the solvents recently used besides pure iron, are meteorite iron,
copper, silver, lead, nickel-steel, manganese-steel, tungsten,
aluminum, and blue ground from the South African diamond mines. None of
these proved to be so suitable as pure iron filings. Carbon did not
dissolve in copper at all, and not very readily in molten silver.
Tungsten was heated in the furnace for about two hours because of its
high melting point and by that time most of the carbon was burned away
into carbon dioxide. The tungsten on cooling was found to be changed
largely into an oxide, tinted somewhat yellow. No diamonds were formed
when lead was used. The lead seemed to form carbide of lead. When
aluminum was used as a solvent for carbon, some hard crystals having
the appearance of diamonds were formed, but these would not withstand
the tests to which they were subjected. Probably they were carbide of
aluminum or spinel.
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