Diamond melting point, physical properties and mineral structure

What is the melting point and boiling point of a diamond? Is there a mineral in molten form in the natural environment? The search for answers to these and other questions will deal in the submission.

How did diamonds form in the bowels of the earth?

According to scientists, diamonds could appearduring the formation of the core of the planet as a result of exposure to molten magma of enormous pressure. Gems have advanced to the surface areas of the earth's crust thanks to gassing processes in the deep rocks. As a result, so-called diamond pipes were formed, which represent voids in stony soil with large deposits of mineral.

Material properties

Before finding out what the melting point of diamond is, let's consider the properties of a mineral:

1. Diamonds have the highest hardnessamong all existing minerals. For this reason, no material can destroy the diamond’s structure or scratch its surface. He himself can damage any physical object.
2. Diamond is a highly efficient insulator. It is resistant to acids and other aggressive chemical environments.
3. Diamond has the highest thermal conductivity among all solid minerals. The gem can be held in the palm of your hand for as long as you like. At the same time its temperature will remain unchanged.
4. Diamond has a unique luminescence. Light rays of any origin when passing through the mineral make it glow brightly and sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow.

Structure

По сути, алмаз состоит из атомов углерода.However, each of them is located in the central part of the tetrahedron - a polyhedron, which is formed from four planes of the triangle. This provides an extremely strong bond of atoms. This explains the highest hardness, as well as the impressive melting point of diamond.

Diamond melting conditions

In 2010, in the course of experiments in the laboratory of physicsThe University of California, located in Berkeley, determined the level of temperature exposure to diamond, which leads to its melting. Scientists have found that converting a material to a liquid form under normal conditions is impossible, regardless of the level of heating. To achieve this goal is possible only when exposed to a diamond not only with temperature, but also with the highest pressure. It is necessary to increase the pressure so that the mineral does not turn into graphite. Thus, the transition of diamond into a liquid form is an extremely difficult process.

What is the melting point and boiling point of a diamond?

According to the data obtained during the study of material properties, its melting in air space under high pressure occurs when heated to 850-1000 ^aboutC. To boil the diamond can be brought by acting on it with a temperature of from 1800 to 2000 ^aboutC in a vacuum. In both cases, during cooling, the mineral is converted to graphite.

Устанавливая, какова температура плавления diamond, scientists conducted experiments using a small natural mineral, the weight of which was 1/10 of a carat. The boiling of material surfaces occurred under the influence of a shock wave generated by short-term laser pulses.

Set which indicator equalsthe melting point of diamond (in degrees), the researchers succeeded only in creating a pressure that was 40 million times the normal atmospheric pressure at sea level. When the pressure dropped to 11 million atmospheres, solid particles began to form on the surface of the boiling mineral, which do not sink, but float like ice in water.

Where are the diamonds found in the crust?

These minerals are extremely rare. However, industrial deposits today are being developed on almost all continents of the globe. The only exception is Antarctica.

Until the mid-19th century, it was believed that minerals form in river sediments. Later, the first diamondiferous cavities were discovered in rocky mountain soil at a depth of several hundred meters.

Согласно данным ученых, возраст некоторых алмазов ranges from 100 million to 2.5 billion years. Researchers managed to get more "old" minerals of unearthly origin. The latter are brought to the planet along with meteorites, which were formed in outer space before the formation of the solar system.

Are diamonds melted under natural conditions?

Температура плавления алмаза настолько высока, that on Earth the mineral can no longer exist in a boiling form. However, what about space objects? According to scientists, the melting point of diamond is still maintained in the depths of such planets as Neptune and Uranus. It is noteworthy that the latter are 10% formed of carbon, which is the structural basis of this mineral.

According to many scientists, on the aboveThe planets have entire oceans of diamonds in a fluid, boiling form. Such a hypothesis explains why the magnetic field of these celestial bodies behaves so strangely. After all, Neptune and Uranus are the only planets in the solar system whose geographic poles do not have a clear position and are literally spaced apart in space. To confirm an interesting hypothesis, it remains only to simulate similar conditions on Earth experimentally. However, such a decision at the moment remains extremely expensive and time consuming. Therefore, it is not yet possible to determine for sure whether there are really whole oceans of diamonds in molten form on nearby planets.