The Wichita daily eagle., 1903-08-09
electric device. arranged so that two dis


similar metals form Circuit. and by
treating these metals at the juncture
current of electricity is produced. The
The electric couple in the pyrometer is
made of platinum and rhodium encase.
| in long tube of porcelain. The elec-
/ trio current generated is measured by
| galvanometer
| Such is the furnace devised by Mois
| son and such is the means for determin-
ing the degree Of heat. Before attempt
| ing TO duplicate nature in the production
| OF the diamond the experimentalist must
needs know something of her secrets
revealed by chemical anaiys sis, for anal
ysis should come before synthosis-
A genuine It amond POSSESSES ehree
properties, and any substance 10 be class
ed as a diamond must fulfill these re
| quirements absolutely and irrequivocally.
| For instance, a diamond is the hardes
| substance known and has a density cf
| three and five-tenths; the second hardes-
test for the diamond is that real one
| viii burn up in oxygen when heated 10
| 100 degrees; and a diamond Weighing l.
| grains will yield appr oximate,y % grains
of carbon dioxide, a compound of car
| bonic acid gas.
There are substances which fulfill two
of the three conditions. as boride of car
bon. since this will burn in oxygen and
| give of carbonic acid gas, and there are
| several elements now manufactured in
the electric furnace that are nearly as
| hard as the diamond-ore of these sub
stances is corborundum. which will
scratch a ruby-and some substances
have density equal TO the diamond,
such as titanium but none OF these have
| the properties in triplicate that are re-
quired TO stand the tests of the diamond
| But the resultant srystallized mass found
| in the crucible of the electric furnace
| after the process for making diamonds
is completed fulfill all the aboye condi-
tions imposed and the product must there
fore be genuine diamonds.
| The electric furnace process evolved
by Morsson and Ludwig is worked out
on the following principles: From the
collected data, based on experimental evil
dence, it was believed that the natural
diamond is produced from lower strata
of the earth, an that its origin was due
to intense heat while subjected to great
pressure.
The fact that the diamond Is always
isolated when found tended to show that
its formation was effected while sur
rounded by some molten substance, so
that the carbon which originally formed
the base of it was melted by the intense
heat and then separated from it by crys-
tallNation.
r. Af 1ir0o fhn MI
its precious ingot, is not unattended with
danger. Every one is acquainted with
the effect caused by cooling a bit Of hot
metal in water, and thus volatizing lit
tie portion of the latter; it is easy TO
imagine what melted mass of iron heat
ed to a temperature of 800 0degrees would
do when it came in sudden contact with
cold water BY proceeding with due
carefulness no accidents occurred.
While fused iron may be thus treated
without any untoward results, bismuth
heated 10 the same degree and then sud
denly cooled explodes with great force.
The cooled mass of iron and carbon in
which lie the concealed diamonds is next
immersed in vessel of hydrochloric
acid, which dissolves all the iron. leaving
tained in it. Mixed with the minute crys-
tallized carbon are the other and more
common kinds. one in the form OF graph
lite and the other appearing as dark
colored carbon in the form OF strips.
1t is a strangely curious fact that in
a meteorite found In the Diablo Conon
there are embedded the same kind of car
bon strips as those produced in the cleo
trio furnace. To separate the diamond
crystals from the common form of car
bon the residue containing them is placed
in aqua regia. made by mixing together
concentrated nitric acid and hydrochloric
acid which dissolves more of the carbon
away; the remaining residue if again
treated by immersing il in sulphuric acid
heated TO 20 degrees into the seethins
liquid, when all the common carbon par
ticles are destroyed, leaving only the
denser carbon fragments.
To obtain the pure crystals the last
analysis is performed by placing the re-
naming particles in bromoform, liquid
having a density of 20. so that those
pieces of carbon having the same density
will float on the surface of the fluid and
those having a higher speciic gravity.
such as the crystals VIII be precipitated
TO fall to the bottom.
Finally the precipitate is placed in
vessel containing iodide OF methylene.
which is very dense liquid. Again some
OF the carbon is deposited and some floats
on its surface. These are the transparent
diamonds some having smooth surfaces
and some having curved lines, and are OF
the same general appea ance as the na-
tural diamond in rough.
Some of the diamonds made were COW
cred with black carbon. which taxed the
maker to dissolve II. One of the dia-
characteristic of one OF the arii.ticaIly
produced diamonds was exhibited when
it split into two different pieces after a
period of three months. exactly like some
diamonds procured from the Cape mines
This coincidence was due TO the fact that
in both cases the formation was very
irregular
When a ray of light is projected into
the stones they are luminous and under
the action of radium they phosDhoresce
beautifully.
ReSorting again to experiment, IL was
ascertained that under these conditions
Of heat ard pressure the carbon was dis
solved most easily and perfectly when
placed or immersed in melted metals. BIT
that iron served the purpose best
To perform the experiment Of making
real diamonds by artificial means place
in the crucible about quarter OF pound