The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-11-04
HE MAKES DIAMONDS.
Professor M0iss0n Manufactures
One In Ten Minutes. "


"Diamonds made while you wait"
No one need be at all startled should
this sign appear In the window Of some
enterprislng up to date dealer for Mr..
Henri Moisson of tho Institute Of France
and the Academic des Sciences demon
strated its practicabil.ey before distin-
guished audience at the College of Ply
sicians and Surgeons, New York, the other
evening by manufacturing diamond be-
fore their very eyes, 1t was done In ten
minutes.
Mr. Moisson is 40 years old. He Is q
man of slender frame and medium height.
His hair Is jet black, his beard streaked
with gray. He speaks only French, but
his crucible talked the universal language,
and tho experiment was watched with abb
sorbed interest.
Professor Moisson told how he had dis
covered the composition OF diamonds by
reducing specimens of diamonds To ashes.
Rather suggestive OF that famous treat OF
dissolved pearls In the matter of expensive
nessl
Tho scientist found out by the process
that in all these diamonds, save one very
pure gem from Brazil, there was iron,
while the Cape diamonds came from earth
that contained granite and graphite.
Granite is the effect of great pressure.
As cast iron increases In volume in pass
Ing from tho liquid TO the solid state, he
was led TO believe that II an element OF
carbon were inclosed in n globule of cast
iron that was cooling, IL would be sub
jected TO the requisite pressure. He had
experimental To ascertain tho different
stages through which carbon passes and
had obtained pure carbon--graphite-b
very high temperature.
High temperature alone, however, would
not yield the crystallized form OF carbon
known TO commerce as diamond. Heat
at sufficient pressure would, he believed,
and he nt last succeeded In proving 1t.
In order TO obtain n heat sufficiently
great and at the same time measurable he
devised simple electric furnace, and
there IL was before his audience.
IL consisted of two clay bricks, one Is
Inches square on the surface and foot
thick, with another above IL half as thick.
In the lower brick was "a hollow large
enough TO contain the crucible, while two
carbon electrodes connected with battery
entered the cavity, which was sprinkled
with magnesia TO prevent the formation OF
calcium carbide.
In the crucible were placed soft iron FL
ings and charcoal. The furnace was COW
cred up and the current turned on. In
three minutes the indicator showed that
things inside the little furnace were $500
degrees hot and folks began to think Of
last July.
The clay was boiling and flaming before
their eyes Professor Moisson carelessy
laid his hand on the top brick and kept it
there lust to show that the heat didn' &
come through.
At the end of ten minutes the little
wizard turned of the current, lifted the
cover, the underside white mass OF
flame, and dropped IL In some water. He
took out the crucible with tongs and drop
ped it into cold water.
When the crucible was cold, he broke 1t
and took out an ingot as big as common
bullet. He explained the process which he
must go through TO eliminate the Iron, In
which was imbedded the crystallized car
bon-the diamond.
Then the slender Frenchman spoiled IL
all by telling his audience that he had
never been able to make u diamond larger
than one millimeter In diameter and of no
commercial value, but he hoped later on
to produce a regular "searchlight" Then
the sign Diamonds made while you watt
will become familiar.
He told lot of interesting things about
diamonds. He said the little black specks
found In diamonds called ''crapauds" In
France, "pogs'' In New York, which de-
tract from tho value Of the stones, were
the first proof to him that he had got on
natures track. 4.
He said that when cooling the crucible
In molten lead y the crystal takes the
shape of rectangular figure, but when
mercury Is used in cooling the crucible the
diamonds are octabedion.
These latter, like similar diamonds found
a. the Cape fields, split when exposed to
the air, an additional proof to Moisson
that diamonds are produced by pressure
These pressures are principally expansion
power.
And diamonds will still be expensive
Nevv York World