Naked Science Forum

General Science => General Science => Topic started by: ukmicky on 01/12/2005 23:42:27

Title: diamonds
Post by: ukmicky on 01/12/2005 23:42:27

if high presure and heat can create diamonds from carbon ,why can't we manufacture them.

Michael                                      (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa186%2Fukmicky%2Frofl.gif&hash=481319b762ee9d57cda15e90d2e83ee6)

Title: Re: diamonds
Post by: daveshorts on 02/12/2005 00:37:35

We can, there are a couple of processes that are available at the moment, one developed by some russians which involves very high pressure transferred using molten metals to some carbon, which produces yellow diamonds, and another using chemical vapour deposition (the sort of thing they use to produce thin layers of funky materials for chips) which will produce any colour.

Both are a bit slow, and quite expensive, and they haven't scaled them up yet.  I think they are concentrating on the more expensive coloured diamonds at the moment.

The reason it is difficult is that growing good quality large diamonds is diificult, it is possible to make diamond dust by heating a high carbon steel to red heat and quenching it (cooling it very fast), but the diamonds are minute and probably bad quality. scaling up the crystal size in a sensible time (nature had a few billion years to get there) is the challenging bit.

Title: Re: diamonds
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 02/12/2005 15:17:30

Jewel-quality diamonds can be manufactured for less than $100

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/diamond.html

Title: Re: diamonds
Post by: sharkeyandgeorge on 10/12/2005 14:36:53

thanks for the link absolutly fasinating

Giggidy Giggidy Goo
The philosopher Q man

Title: Re: diamonds
Post by: ukmicky on 10/12/2005 15:03:56

Twas Twasn'tit . its a shame they can tell the difference between a natural one and manufactured one though.

Michael                                      (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa186%2Fukmicky%2Frofl.gif&hash=481319b762ee9d57cda15e90d2e83ee6)

Title: Re: diamonds
Post by: sharkeyandgeorge on 10/12/2005 16:46:59

what both guys in the article said was true though if given the choice between artifical and real girls are going to go for the biggest they can get

"I realised i was sitting on a thousand tons of fuel in a rocket built by the lowest bidder"