Manufacture Of Diamonds

M. Moissan's discovery of a method of manufacturing diamonds has naturally attracted the attention of chemists, who are assiduously laboring to improve on the process; and though it is admitted that "much time and labor will have to be expended before marketable-sized jewels can be produced," their production seems to be somewhat conödently anticipated. If so it will be unfortunate for the possessors of fortunes in these stones. Hut it h;is long been believed that in time the secret of nature- how to produce diamonds - would be solved. M. Moissán, it seems, hit on the idea that if the ordinary forms of carbon could be converted into a liquid or tf;is. the' might then be made to solidify rfs diamonds; but the point was, how to convert the carbon? The inventor, it is e.xplaiiiecl, "took advantage of the property possessed by melted iron of absorbing and diffusing carbon throughout its mass. He saturated the highly-heated iron vvith carbon by infusing into it a quantity of purified sugar. Hy suddenly eooling the melted metal, he formeel a solid crust over the still liquid interior. As the mass continued to cool the interior grarïualiy Bolidifled, but it was prevented f rom expaading by the rigid axterior. The interior was thus compelled to solidify ander enormous pressure. Dnring the procesa of hardening the carbon solidiñed; in part. as diamond." Usually graphite is formed by i eooling of melted iron, and it thus ippears that tha transformation of the jraphite into diamond depends entirely upon the infusión of the purified sugar. [laving got so far it seems not urirea3onable to believe that M. Bfoissan and ■ tiis f ello w-'.aborars i n the field of scienee - one which alchemists have sought to sxplore for centuries past - will g-o still farther. -