Wednesday, August 24, 2016

[ldrkoozf] Burning diamonds

Can diamonds, in particular, jewelry diamonds, be burned away to carbon dioxide by conventional fire, for example, a house fire?  (Diamonds are famously burnable in an unconventional environment, namely in pure oxygen.)  What if the fire or heat source heats the diamond for a very long time, hours or days?  We are not asking for the diamond to ignite with a self-sustaining flame, asking only that it oxidizes away, perhaps like an ember.

This could easily be tested.  Is there a source of large, cheap, non-gem quality diamonds?

Inspiration was, gems of oxidized minerals, e.g., aluminum oxide, do not oxidize further in fire, so are more likely to survive.  (Debeers wants you to believe a diamond is forever, but oxidation makes that a lie.)

When might a sapphire or ruby realistically encounter a highly reducing environment or other destructive chemical environment?

No comments :