Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1915-11-13
CARBON A PUZZLE
The Mystery That Links a Dia-
mond to a Lump of Graphite.
A SECRET OF THE MOLECULES.

why ENaCtIJ kHe OdFue ElSiiS"NS w"
Such Different Substances Is the Rid
dle-changing a Mass Of Charcoal
Into a Minute but Pure Gem.
Carbon. one of the seventy or eighty
primary elements out Of which all mat
ter is formed, occurs, pure, In two en-
tirely different and contrasted forms.
These are, first. diamond and, second,
graphite or plumbago pencil Lead. II
each Of these substances was com
pound or mixture Of different elements,
comprising In both cases carbon as the
principal constituent there would be no
cause for mystification. But they are
absolutely the same unrnixed thing, al
though in appearance and IN properties
they are totally unlike!
The molecules Of each are the same
they are molecules OF carbon, and moth
ing else-but In one the molecules are
80 arranged that they form transpar-
ent, excessively hard, solid crystal, Ell
dowed with marvellous powers Of re-
fracting light which make 1t the most
dazzling of all gems, and, in the other,
the same molecules are so arranged
that they form a dull, soft, black or
gray substance that leaves dirty
streak when rubbed upon paper.
The secret lies within them. 1t is In
the internal play Of the molecular
forces, but what makes those forces
act so differently when they have pre-
- . l. fu1 ,rIg
Burn diamond and it turns TO graph
lite.
Charcoal is a third form OF carbon,
ordinarily produced by the charring Of
wood. whereby all the other clements
contained in the wood are removed,
leaving the carbon in the form of
soft black substance which. in some
ways. resembles graphite.
Charcoal and few similar sub
stances are called amorphous, or
'shopeless" carbon. because they are
never crystallized. as diamond always,
and graphite sometimes, is. Yet char
coal, too, has the royal diamond blood
That blood sometimes sits on the
throne and sometimes slaves In the
mine; but despite the turn of chance
below. II is always itself
Charcoal can turn to diamond, and
the things that make it turn are great
heat combined with great pressure.
Here In outline, Is the process. as it
has been performed IN laboratories, es-
pecially by the French chemist, Mois-
san. Into Il mass of molten iron q
quantity Of pure charcoal Is put. Then
the liquid iron. when dissolyes the
charcoal very much ms water dissolves
sugar. Is placed in an electric furnace
and heated IN temperature of nearly
5000 degrees Il. Immediately 1t is
plunged into cold water, In order to
cause quick cooling.
The result OF the sudden cooling is
the formation of solldihed shell on
the surface Of the iron which power
fully congresses the interior part.
when IL in turn cOols and tries 10 ex-
pand. The result of this compression
Is to force the imprisoned carbon Char
coan to crystalline into diamond IL
the molten iron Is allowed to cool at
ordinary pressure the charcoal only
turns to graphite. So we see that the
magic wand whose touch makes dia-
moud Of what would otherwise be
mere duh pencil lead Is the wand OF
high pressure
II is believed that this is substan-
TALLY the way in which nature herself
makes diamonds. In the great din-
mond mines OF South Africa there is
evidence that the gems were formed
In the bowels of ancient and long since
extinct volcanoes, where, OF course,
both intense heat and enormous pres.
sure We're available IN unlimited quan-
titles. But nature in her huge volcanic
laboratories works on a scale which
we cannot initiate, SO that there is no
cause for surprise in the fact that,
while she can make diamonds as big
as walnuts when she chooses, we can
make none even as big as a pins head
The largest artificial diamond is less
than millimeter in diameter But it
is genuine diamond, and with that fact
to start with. who can say what may
be done some day.
There are a number Of meteors which
have fallen upon the earth from outer
space that contain microscopic dia-
monds resembling the artificial ones.
None OF them is large enough TO be Of
any Importance except S scientific
eurioSities, hut as such they OH the
mind With wonder. Where and how
were they crcated-in what world or
what star?
The principal metals found in me.
teors are iron and nkkel. with ocea-
sional traces Of cobalt copper. alumni.
mum, Gin and magneSium.-Garrett +.
ServiSs in New York Journal