diamond crystal structure

Diamond (poem)

The adamant mineral

It is so hard that it is said to last forever

But that is not actually true

It is the hardest material on earth

But it can be easily broken if hit on the right position

it does come from the depths of the earth

From a place that is so hot that the rocks are molten

From the heart of our planet, we have been sent so many wonderful minerals

-Ricardo Esplugas

Read also:

Pure carbon materials

Graphite

The Rock Cycle

Diamond

Diamond is the most expensive gemstone and also the hardest material on earth. The first characteristic justify its use in fine jewellery and the latter explains why it is used a lot in industry in cutting and drilling tools.

Diamonds used in industry are small so that they can be made synthetically at a reasonable price.

The great strength of diamond comes from its tetragonal spatial structure, where each carbon atom is linked to another 3 in an interplane fashion (in graphite there is no interplane bonding so that it is a soft material). In addition, covalent C-C bonds are very strong.

carbon diamond tetrahedral structure

The image above underlines the tetrahedral structure of the crystal structure of diamond.

These image shows how the tetrahedra are linked in space.

Diamond (poem)

Diamond