The Washington times., 1901-09-08
DIAMONDS MADE OF SUGAR
Remarkable Results of the Expert
ments of Frenchman.
An Enormous Degree of Heat and
Tremendous Pressure Necessary to
Produce the Gem From the Sacchn-
rine Cnrbon-The Process Costly.


Produce the Gem From the Sacchn.
rine Cnrbon-The Process Costly
How to make diamonds out of SUI
gar" would be a recipe, perhaps. whicf
would be more valued than anything
ever referred to in cook books. The
/ recipe exists, however, and the opera
tion is possible, but it requires special
appliances. Sugar is carbon, and dia-
monds are carbon, only the latter have
been subjected to immense heat unt
tremendous pressure.
The idea that diamonds could b,
made out of sugar is nothing new. Il
prevailed many years ago among the
savants, and numerous experiments
have been made to carry out the pro-
cess, but without success. AS long age
as 1928 French chemist named Can
nal imagined that he had solved the
problem by treating carburet of sui
phur with pure phosphorus. He OBJ
tanned number of tiny sparkling
stones which at first sight appeared to
be diamonds. but which were nothing
more than particles of glass proceeding
from the glass tubes which he had used
In the experiment.
Gagniard de Latour, and later, Des-
pretz, continued in the fascinating
search which seemed to promise re-
suits surprising the fabulous ''philoso-
| piers stone''
DespretZ used charcoal. which he
subjected to intense heat produced by
an electric arc and blowpipe.. The
result was that he obtained tiny parti-
cles of gem-like brilliancy, which were
SO hard that one could cut rubies with
| them. But they were not diamonds.
In England, a chemist named Mars
den succeeded one day in manufactur-
ing tiny gems which were real dia-
monds, but he was never able to repeat
| the experiment. His subsequent at
tempts resulted in the production of a
crystal so hard that it would scratch
diamonds and which was called car
borandum. 1t was a useful discovery,
and the substance is now manufactured
for industrial purposes in this country
NJ. Moissan, member of the French
Institute. has solved the question of
the manufacture of diamonds from car
bon substances. NJ. Moissan's dia-
monds. thus made, cut real diamonds
the supreme test. The element that
contributed to NJ. Moissan's success
was electricity. He knew that what
was needed to transform worthless car
bon into precious stones was intense
heat and tremendous pressure, and he
attributed the failure of all his prede-
cessors to the fact that none of them
had been able to obtain a sufficient de-
gree of heat or pressure sufficiently
powerful. They had to content them
selves with 1900 Geg1 ees centigrade,
the greatest heat possible even in chem
lists laboratories. This was plainly in
sufficient for the purpose. NJ. Mois-
san, therefore, set about constructing
an electric oven which, in its present
perfection, is capable of producing
heat of from 1000 to 5000 degrees CEN
tisrade In order to give an idea of
this heat, it may be said that subject
ed to it. the human body would entirely
disappear in less than second of time,
without leaving behind it particle of
ash.
TI.e oven used for the manufacture
of diamonds is not large enough to Gre
mate the human body; it is a small.
neat. and simple affair. 1t is formed of
two blocks of limestone, the one fitting
on top of the other. Both blocks are
followed out in such a way that, when
adjusted. there is. in the centre, a
small cylindrical cavity. Two grooves
conducting 10 the lower half of this
cavity are tunneled out in the lower
block. The two stones are encased in
iron, and when they are adjusted, they
are fastened together by an iron band
which is tightened by a screw.
The two electrodes, connected with
powerful generator, are pushed into the
groove until they touch a cylindrical
charcoal crucible. which has been fitted
into the cylindrical cavity. This char
coal crucible contains the substance
which is to be subjected to the effects
of the heat produced. AS soon as the
current is turned on huge white flames
burst out of the oven on either side.
The intensity of this light is said to be
absolutely binding, so that the specta-
tor can family realize what a tempera-
ture Of from 1000 degrees to 5000 de-
grees means. The limestone of which
the oven is made is. however. SO bad a
conductor of the enormous heat that
the hand may be placed on the top of
the stove during the operation without
the slightest inconvenience.
But now to obtain the enormous
pressure requisite for the manufacture
rs
ance to householders and of joy to
plumbers Is the pressure exerted by
ice. Just as this pressure is eXerted by
water in freezing, so does molten iron,
IN solidifying. exercise a pressure
against anything in which it may be
enclosed. The more rapid the solidifi-
cation the more intense the pressure.
Water solidifies slowly. and hence the
damage it causes in pipes and jugs is
not of an explosive or violent nature.
NJ Moissan obtained the pressure he
wanted by the following method:
He filed the little charcoal crucible
with broken bits of iron and carbon of
sugar. The crucible was filled in this
way about half its depth. Is was then
placed in the hollow cavity prepared
for its reception in the lower half of the
electric stove. The top Of the stove was
then adjusted, the electrodes. connected
with powerful generator, were pushed
into the grooves tunneled out in the
lower stone. and the current was turned
on. A roaring sound ensued, white
flames burst out on either side of the
electric stove. and a cloud of white va
por hung like a fog overhead.
Tr.n or three minutes later the unper