The Meeker herald., 1897-10-23
HARDER THAN A DIAMOND.
4 vr..sh Cs.ni.rs Discovery Of . x.,
Kind Of Crystal.

4 Ersash Chemists Discovery sf Nsv
Kind Of Crystal.
Henri Moissan, the distinRuishsd
Preach chemist who created 4 ,ensa-
tion few years ago by producing
small white diamonds in his electric
furnace. is now credited with another
interesting achievement. says the New
York Tribune. This latter piece of
work while perhaps not quite 20 star
tling as the other. will probably prove
OF more practical benent to mankind
and hence a source of greater revenue
to N. Moissan.
Hitherto the diamond has been con-
sidered the hardest thing in nature.
The closest approach to 1t, until recent
ly, was made by the ruby. Something
hallway between them, In this respect.
was discovered only two or three Year,
ago by e. C. Acheson Of Pittsburg. who
was experimenting with an electric
furnace for an entirely different pur-
pose He. too, was trying to make
artificial jewels. and succeeded In get
ting lot of small crystals which were
neither diamonds nor rubies. but were
harder than the latter. They wsrs
composed Of sixty-nine parts Of silica
and thirty-one parts of carbon. Tech
nica1ly the substance IL carbide a
silicon" The discoverer. however. .gsss
to 1T the name carborundum. and b
now manufacturing about two tons a
II daily at Niagara Falls for chemical
purposes. 1t is used for the same puf-
pose as emery.
Moissan's new product is carbide Il
the rare metal titanium. The proper
materials having been deposited in
small crucible made of lime. an electric
current of large volume and low vo1e-
age Is turned on, a temperature Of 1900
or 5000 degrees Fahrenheit IL dsvsl-
oped. and then the stuff Is allowed 10
cool. The resulting crystals are saiA
to be harder than diamonds. which now
take the second place. Carborundum
comes next and the ruby drops to the
fourth rank.
The carbide of titanium 10 as much
harder than carborundum as carboruA-
dunn is harder than emery. The latter
two are only good for abrasive ssrvteo;
that is. they are employed only for
grinding and polishing other vsry haEl
substances. 1t is probable that car
bide Of titanium will have q much more
extensive use. There are many rock
cutting drills which consist of . tuba.
In one edge Of which are embedded
brown or black diamonds. II. Nois-
sans new product will be both cheaper
and more efncient than these. It may
also be substituted for real 5svsls IN
vstches, delicate balances and in othse
Nschanism where small bits of partic-
u1arly hard material are needed =
bearings. The discoverer has applied
for patents on his invention in thiD
country as well as Europe. and II y
thought probable that the French aoa-
deny will award him a certain 11e,ooo
prize offered some time ago for Q saa-
isfaetory substitute for black diamonAa
Titanium. when pure, IL white, 80
about half ~ heavy as iron. II y -
most impossible to buy any bssamo
thsre is NO de1hsnd. and oonsesssaAV
NO production. However. It Il not -
very scarce. An oxide Of titaniun
found In the form of small black sAonap
that give red mark, is picked up ia
some newly plowed fields in Pennsyl-
vania and sells for - . pound. Tho
metal is frequently found In combina-
tion with iron, but hitherto has bssa
regarded as a nuisance. because II rem
ders an ore refractory. A recent writ
er says: Millions Of tons Of iron ore
in Virginia and New York are made
worthless by the presence of s o. pss
cent Of titanium"