Difference between revisions of "Diamond"
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| − | '''Diamond''' is an [[allotrope]] of [[carbon]], noted for being the hardest material on the [[hardness|Moh's Scale]], and also fairly rare (deposits are found in [[Kimberlite]] in [[South Africa]]). As such, natural diamonds are used for jewelry, and synthetic ones for drill bits. | + | '''Diamond''' is an [[allotrope]] of [[carbon]], noted for being the hardest material on the [[hardness|Moh's Scale]], and also fairly rare (deposits are found in [[Kimberlite]] in [[South Africa]]). Diamonds are considered to be the strongest metal known to man. As such, natural diamonds are used for jewelry, and synthetic ones for drill bits. |
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
[http://www.minelinks.com/alluvial/diamonds.html Minelinks.com - Diamonds] | [http://www.minelinks.com/alluvial/diamonds.html Minelinks.com - Diamonds] | ||
Revision as of 04:40, September 23, 2007
| Diamond | |
|---|---|
| |
| Chemical name | Carbon |
| Chemical formula | C |
| Identification | |
| Birefringence | None |
| Colors | Colorless. Impurities may produce pink, yellow, brown |
| Crystal habit | Octahedral |
| Crystal system | Cubic |
| Cleavage | Perfect in four directions |
| Dispersion | 0.044 |
| Fracture | Conchoidal - step like |
| Hardness | 10 |
| Luster | Adamantine |
| Name origin | Ancient Greek adamas - "invincible". |
| Optics | Singly refractive |
| Pleochroism | None |
| Specific gravity | 3.52 |
| Spectral | In pale yellow stones a 415.5 nm line is typical. Irradiated and annealed diamonds often show a line around 594 nm when cooled to low temperatures. |
| Streak | Colorless |
Diamond is an allotrope of carbon, noted for being the hardest material on the Moh's Scale, and also fairly rare (deposits are found in Kimberlite in South Africa). Diamonds are considered to be the strongest metal known to man. As such, natural diamonds are used for jewelry, and synthetic ones for drill bits.