The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1915-12-03
CARBON A PUZZLE
The Mystery That Links a Dia.
, mond to a Lump of Graphite.
IAsEcRET OF THE MOLECULES

Why Exactly the Same Elements Form
Such Different Substances Is the Rid
dle-changing Mass of Charcoal
Into 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. If
| each of these substances was a COM
pound or mixture of different elements,
comprising in both cases carbon as the
principal constituent there would be no
cause for justification. But they are
| absolutely the same unmixed 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
SO arranged that they form transpar-
ent, excessively hard, solid crystal, en-
dowed with marvellous powers of re-
fracting light which make it the most
dazzling of all gems, and, in the other.
the same molecules are so arranged
that they form dull, soft, black or
gray substance that leaves a dirty
streak when rubbed upon paper.
The secret lies within them. It is in
the internal play of the molecular
forces, but what makes those forces
act so differently when they have pre-
cisely the same material to work upon?
Burn diamond and it turns to graph
tie.
Charcoal is third form of carbon,
ordinarily produced by the charring of
wood, whereby all the other elements
contained in the wood are removed
leaving the carbon in the form of a
soft, black substance which, in some
ways, resembles graphite
Charcoal and few similar SUBJ
stances are called amorphous, or
''shapeless" 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, it 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 mass Of molten iron a
quantity of pure charcoal is put. Then
the liquid iron, which dissolves the
charcoal very much as water dissolves
sugar, is placed in an electric furnace
and heated in temperature of nearly
5000 degrees f. Immediately it is
plunged into cold water, in order to
cause quick cooling.
The result Of the sudden cooling is
the formation of solidifed shell on
the surface of the iron which power.
fully congresses the interior part
when it in turn cools and tries to ex-
pand. The result of this compression
is to force the imprisoned carbon (char-
coaD to crystallizef into diamond. If
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.
mond of what would otherwise be
mere dull pencil lead is the wand OF
high pressure.
1t is believed that this is substan-
TALLY the way in which nature herself
makes diamonds. In the great dia-
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 were available in unlimited guam
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 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 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 as scientific
curiosities, but as such they fill the
mind with wonder. Where and how
were they created-in what world or
what star?
The principal metals found in me-
teors are iron and nickel, with occa-
sional traces of cobalt, copper, alumni
mum, tin and magnesium.-Ga P.
Serviss in New York Journal