Premium
Growth of Large Diamond Crystals by Reduction of Magnesium Carbonate with Metallic Sodium
Author(s) -
Lou Zhengsong,
Chen Qianwang,
Wang Wei,
Qian Yitai,
Zhang Yufeng
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.200351478
Subject(s) - magnesium , sodium carbonate , carbonate , raman spectroscopy , diamond , materials science , metal , carbon fibers , yield (engineering) , sodium , synthetic diamond , inorganic chemistry , metallurgy , chemical engineering , mineralogy , chemistry , composite material , optics , engineering , physics , composite number
Diamonds in the rough : Crystals as large as 510 μm in diameter were formed at a temperature as low as 500 °C by the reduction of magnesium carbonate with metallic sodium (see picture). The product mixture was found to contain cubic diamonds by X‐ray diffraction and micro‐Raman spectrum analysis. The yield of diamond is about 6.6 % with respect to carbonate carbon. Magnesium carbonate is nontoxic, cheap, and abundant, and the temperature of this process is much lower than that of traditional methods. Therefore, the results of these studies could be applied in the production of industrial low‐cost diamonds.