It originates in the depths of red stellar giants, is part of vital fats, amino acids and carbohydrates, can form millions of compounds with different chemical elements and, depending on the structure, has completely different mechanical properties. The soft and brittle pencil stem and the hardest mineral diamond are made of the same building material - carbon. What makes a diamond so unique? Where is it used? What is its value?
Indestructible heat conductor
In translation from ancient Greek, the word "diamond" means "indestructible". Even before the times of antiquity, people knew the incredible strength of this stone. In ancient times, diamonds were widely traded in India and Egypt. And this mineral came to the European expanses after the aggressive campaigns of Alexander the Great. He brought the stones as magical artifacts. The ancient Greeks called this hardest mineral the tears of the gods that fell to earth.
But the secret of the invincibility of the stone lies,certainly not in mysticism and not in connection with the spiritual world. The element's distinct tetrahedral lattice structure and strong bonding between carbon atoms provide the highest strength. Due to the same structure, diamond is an excellent heat conductor. For example, if it were possible to make a teaspoon from a single piece of diamond, you would not be able to stir sugar into hot tea with it, because you would burn yourself the moment the spoon touches boiling water.
Mineral hardness comparison
How to determine which mineral is the hardest? The talented German mineralogist Karl Friedrich Moos came to grips with this issue in the nineteenth century. In 1811, the scientist proposed using a comparative scale to determine the hardness of various minerals. It consists of ten points, each of which corresponds to a certain mineral. The first (talc) is the softest, and the last, respectively, the hardest. Verification is carried out experimentally. If a sample (for example, silver) is scratched by fluorite, which is on the fourth line on the scale, but is not damaged by plaster (scale standard number two), then silver has a hardness of 3 on the Mohs scale.
The hardest mineral is diamond. He ranks tenth. And although the Mohs table was put into circulation at the beginning of the nineteenth century, it still remains widely applicable. However, it is worth remembering that this table is not linear. This means that a diamond number ten will not be exactly twice as hard.apatite, which ranks fifth in the table. Other methods are used to determine the absolute value of hardness.
From kings to workers
For a long time, diamonds were the prerogative of exclusively jewelry masters. However, with the development of industry, this hardest mineral has increasingly been considered not only from the usual aesthetic side, but also from the point of view of its unique physical properties. At first, natural diamonds that could not be cut were used in the production of tools. These are stones that had such defects that it was impossible to eliminate the jeweler. They became known as technical diamonds.
As time went on, the need for tools with diamond cutting and drilling edges increased. For example, in the construction industry, diamond drills are in high demand. Their advantage over counterparts made of hard metal alloys is that when working with a diamond drill, microcracks do not form in the material. Diamond easily and cleanly cuts any material, be it stone, concrete or metal. And the absence of microcracks is the key to the durability of the structure. In addition, the work process itself is much faster, noticeably easier and much quieter.
Based on this, it is not surprising that, according to the data for 2016, Russia alone produces 1200 types of various tools and equipment, the main working part of which is diamond.
Medical applications
The hardest mineral in nature is suitable not only for use in the processing of rough and hardbreeds. Diamond is also indispensable in medical instruments. After all, the thinner and more accurate the incision of tissues, the better the body copes with recovery. And for complex operations on vital organs, the width of the incision plays a decisive role even more so.
In addition, the scalpel with a thin diamond film on the blade stays sharp for a long period of time.
Prospects in electronics
The development of diamond integrated circuits is also being actively promoted. In these, tiny diamonds are used for the backing. Equipment produced by this method is more resistant to temperature changes and large voltage surges. Diamonds can also be used to transmit data in telecommunications. The features of these crystals allow you to transmit signals of different frequencies simultaneously over the same cable.
The hardest mineral on Earth helps in space exploration
Also, diamond is in demand in the chemical industry. An aggressive environment that easily damages glass is absolutely not terrible for a diamond. Physicists use crystals to conduct quantum physics experiments and space exploration.
When creating telescope optics, the requirements for the accuracy and reliability of materials become critical. This is where the hardest natural mineral comes into play, which has outstanding physical and chemical parameters.
Synthesizing diamonds
With such intense demand forthe hardest precious mineral, the question of its artificial synthesis sharply arose. Note that no reserves of stones are able to satisfy the ever-increasing demand. And after lengthy experiments, scientists managed to create an analogue of natural diamond, which has all the necessary features. To date, the production of artificial diamonds for industrial needs has already become common practice.
There are several methods for synthesizing this mineral. The first is the closest to its formation in the natural environment. Synthesis is carried out using ultra-high temperature and enormous pressure. The second technique allows you to extract the diamond from the steam. It is used in film technology - crystals are applied as a thin film on the cutting edges of tools. This method is especially in demand in the manufacture of surgical instruments. And the third produces a scattering of small crystals using detonation and rapid cooling.
Experiments continued and boron nitride was synthesized, which is 20% harder than natural diamond. However, while this substance is so small that the diamond is traditionally considered the hardest mineral.
