Where did diamonds come from? Detailed answer

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Where did diamonds come from? Detailed answer

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Where did diamonds come from?

Diamonds are the hardest substances on earth. According to scientists, they were formed about 100 years ago. At that time, in the depths of the earth, the temperature was much higher than now, and the rocks were in a liquid state. The earth gradually cooled, and this liquid mass was subjected to tremendous pressure and released heat. As a result, specific crystalline structures were formed. One of them was diamonds - crystals of the chemical element carbon. The two most interesting features of diamonds are their hardness and brilliance.

Diamond is five times harder than corundum, which is the second hardest substance on earth after it. Due to this circumstance, the processing of diamonds intended for jewelry is an extremely difficult and painstaking work. At the first stage, the diamond is sawn into pieces.

It takes great skill to correctly find the lines defined by the crystal structure of the stone, along which it should be divided. Then a narrow groove is applied along these lines with the help of another diamond pointed at the end. The sharp cutting edge of a special steel chisel is inserted into the resulting recess and sharply hit on it. If everything was done correctly, then the diamond - the hardest substance in the world - will easily break into two parts in full accordance with the master's plan!

If you take a closer look at the finished diamond, you can see that its surface consists of many facets - tiny flat areas that are at an angle to each other. They are ground using a rapidly rotating steel wheel, on the surface of which diamond dust mixed with oil is applied. On average, one diamond (the so-called diamond that has jewelry value) has 58 facets! This operation is carried out in order to give the stone the correct shape and shine.

Author: Likum A.

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In 2008, NASA's Phoenix lander landed on Mars, which discovered perchlorates in the soil - perchloric acid salts that dissolve precious metals. Perchlorates, like perchloric acid, have very strong oxidizing properties, and scientists were interested because they could become an electron acceptor necessary for life processes in cells and, thus, a source of energy for living organisms, such as bacteria.

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