eli5 since diamonds are compressed carbon is it combustible? I don’t think so but why?
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The short answer is: Your intuition that diamonds, being carbon, should burn is correct. In practice it takes a very hot flame and supplemental oxygen, but then they burn away to nothing.
The short answer is: Your intuition that diamonds, being carbon, should burn is correct. In practice it takes a very hot flame and supplemental oxygen, but then they burn away to nothing.
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The carbon in diamonds *can* burn, but in order to do so those carbon atoms need to split off of the diamond’s crystal structure.
Because the carbon atoms in a diamond are very tightly bound together, it takes a lot of energy to split them off into a position where they can bond with oxygen while burning.
Practically speaking, burning a diamond would involve some extreme combination of high temperatures, high pressures and an oxygen enriched atmosphere
The carbon in diamonds *can* burn, but in order to do so those carbon atoms need to split off of the diamond’s crystal structure.
Because the carbon atoms in a diamond are very tightly bound together, it takes a lot of energy to split them off into a position where they can bond with oxygen while burning.
Practically speaking, burning a diamond would involve some extreme combination of high temperatures, high pressures and an oxygen enriched atmosphere
Everything has a point where it’s a solid a liquid or a gas even diamonds. Get it hot enough and it will go straight from a solid to a gas aka sublimation also known as combustion.
Everything has a point where it’s a solid a liquid or a gas even diamonds. Get it hot enough and it will go straight from a solid to a gas aka sublimation also known as combustion.
Yeah, absolutely. It burns pretty similarly to charcoal, with a little bit more difficulty. It’s a very expensive flame, though.
Yeah, absolutely. It burns pretty similarly to charcoal, with a little bit more difficulty. It’s a very expensive flame, though.
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