From Element to Riches Essay -- essays research papers fc

From Element to Riches     A infield in a sense is the about communal, elegantly, used jewel used in circulation today. Do people in actuality understand the concept and edifice of this mineral? A infield is hunch forwardn as the hardest rock in cosmea and to most of the world it is a piece of jewelry, merely do we know what the chemical composition of a rock and how is it formed?     A diamond in actuality is carbon in its most concentrated form. composition a few diamonds may drop trace impurities such(prenominal) as bacillus or nitrogen, most diamonds be composed mostly of carbon. Carbon is a chemical that is fundamental in the process of life and used in various amounts of ways on the Earths surface. In diamonds, carbon atoms share totally four valance electrons with adjacent carbon atoms, which form a tetrahedral unit. The covalent bond that is formed in this process is responsible for many of the diamonds circus tent properti es. As a result of the highly symmetrical arrangement of eighter atoms that are fundamentally arranged in a repeating structural unit diamond crystals nooky form a variety of opposite shapes known as crystal habits. The octahedron is the most common of these crystal habits, but others include cubes dodecahedra and combinations of theses shapes. All however, are manifestations of the cubic crystal system to which the mineral diamond belongs. Diamond crystals that are real do not form entirely smooth faces which can be seen in the trigons that reflect the impalpable changes of height in the diamonds face. However some raised trigons that point the aforesaid(prenominal) direction as the crystal face can occur from dissolution, etching, and the crystals subjective growth. Another notable property that the diamond is well known for is its hardness. Diamonds are the hardest substance known, receiving a ten on Mohs hardness scale. While diamonds are not fragile or pr maven to break ing they can fracture or shatter. The best place for splitting a diamond is along one of its lines of cleavage as the crystal is know to squander fewer chemical bonds on the plains of its octahedral face which allows for its perfect cleavage. Two of the most valued attributes of the diamond are its brilliance and luster, qualities obtained from the diamonds great ability to refract light. Light that passes through a diamond is reduced to approximately 77,000 mi... ...uses such as super electronics, indomitable optical windows, and un-scatchable surfaces, to many more things that have yet to be thought up. This mineral is definitely a truly unique and diverse substance, unmatched by any known to man. So while the diamond may be appealing to the eye, this beauty is one with depth and purpose far beyond that which meets the eye.                 BibliographyBonsor, Kevin. How Diamonds Work. HowStuffWorks. 1 Dec. 2004.  & nbsp   http//science.howstuffworks.com/diamonds.htmDiamond. BambooWeb Dictionary dissipate Content cyclopedia. 1 Dec.            2004. http//www.bambooweb.com/articles/d/di/Diamond.html"Diamond." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Britannica Concise      Encyclopedia Online. 2004. Encyclopedia Britannica      Premium Service. 4 Dec. 2004.      .The Nature of Diamonds. American Museum of Natural History. 1 Dec.      2004. http//www.amnh.org/exhibitions/diamonds/