The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-01-26
CARBON A PUZZLE
The Mystery That Links a Dia-
mond to a Lump of Graphite. &
A SECRET OF THE MOLECULES.

Why Exactly the Same Elements Form
Such Different Substances Is the Rid-
dIe-chansins Mass OF Charcoal
Into Minute but Pure Gem.
Carbon, one Of the seventy or eighty
primary elements out of which ali mat
ter is formed. occurs. pure, in two en-
tirely different and contrasted forms.
These are, frs. G.::;;::::,c:t I'D. second.
graphite or plumbago Z e..>A Lead. II
each of these substa,.,es was a COM
pound or mixture of C.-.erent elements.
comprising in both cases carbon as the
principal constituent there would be no
cause for mystifcation. 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 formta 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. blackso
gray substance that leaves q dirty
streak when rubbed upon paper.
The secret lies within thegn 1t Is IN
the internal play of theA &nolecular
forces, but what makes those forces
act so differently when they have pre-
cisely the same material to work upon2
Burn diamond and it turns to graph
| ite
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 sub
stances are called amorphous, or
.shapeless'4 carbon. because they are.
never crystailized. 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 dissolEes the
charcoal very much as water disselSesG
sugar. is placed in an electric furnace
and heated in a temperature Of nearly
5000 degrees F. Immediately it Is
plunged into cold water; In order tcs
causesa q quick cooling. -.
The result of the sudden cooling IS
the formation Of solidifed shell on
the surface Of the iron which power
fully compresses the interior part.
when it in turn cools and cries to eS-
pand. The result of this compression
is to force the imprisoned carbon char:
coaD TO crystallize into. diamond If
the molten iron is allowed to cool at
! ordinary pressure the charcoal only
turns to graphite. So we see that the.
pcgic wand whose touch makes dia-
nold Of what would otherwise be
me.e dull pencil lead is the wand OF
high pressure.
| It is believed that this is substan-
tally the way in which nature herself
makes diamonds. In the great dla-
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 scale whlcn
we cannot initiate. so that there IS no
cause for surprise in the fact that,
while she can make diamonds as Dig
as walnuts when she chooses, We can
make none even as big as pins head
The largest artificial diamond Is less
than miilimeter 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 dla-
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-i
sional traces Of cobalt, copper. alumni
mum, tin and magnesium.-Garrett z.
co-,-;o, 4, Nan, vnrt TOUrnQl