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Featured articleDiamond is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do so.
Main Page trophyThis article appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page as Today's featured article on May 11, 2005.
In the news Article milestones
DateProcessResult
March 10, 2005 Featured article candidateNot promoted
April 16, 2005 Featured article candidatePromoted
January 23, 2007 Featured topic candidateNot promoted
August 25, 2009 Featured article reviewKept
In the news A news item involving this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the " In the news" column on January 17, 2010.
Current status: Featured article

Rarity of diamonds

This piece states that diamonds are very rare, but this is not true. Multiple sources exist to counter that notion, e.g., from the International Gem Society. Diamond production has been heavily controlled to suit specific merchants. 2001:861:5E49:DF60:DD77:2926:A831:39E3 ( talk) 15:11, 1 June 2023 (UTC) reply

Move discussion in progress

There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Diamond the Body which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. — RMCD bot 10:17, 29 July 2023 (UTC) reply

Chemistry

Wow, is this a bad article. The lead states:"Because the arrangement of atoms in diamond is extremely rigid, few types of impurity can contaminate it (two exceptions are boron and nitrogen)." This is absolute rubbish. It isn't its "rigidity" that gives bulk diamond its impermeability (if that's what is meant by contamination). It is easy to "contaminate" a diamond CVD film with you name it. How big is the difference between contaminating a 1 inch cube (say) of pure iron vs. pure diamond? Not much. Ion implantation into (the near surface of) a diamond is also trivial. If the editors meant that NATURAL diamonds (on Earth) are typically quite pure, then SAY THAT! I suspect, but just an ignorant suspicion, that diamond must transition between impure high-carbon 'stuff' to the pure allotrope. I expect that at some point there's LOTS of contaminants in the nascent diamond. Aren't most natural diamonds black? What's that?? (the preceding is a digression, I'm ignorant on their natural occurrence.) There are so many FALSE statements in this article that it needs a total rewrite. There are many other bloopers but I don't have the patience to list them all. (For instance, did you know that hydrogen will leave an ash when burnt? No? Well, just read this article. When a diamond burns (in O2), any contaminants are left as ash. Ridiculous. (as is the assumption of complete combustion of the carbon) Another false claim is that diamond contains the most atoms per unit volume. (aside: at first, I thought the editor meant per unit cell volume!, not sure why s/he used the word "unit" since it doesn't add clarity (but it is not wrong)). Estimates of hydrogen density in the sun's core is ~10,000 kg/m^3, and without qualifying pressure and temperature the claim is likely false. I could go on...) 40.142.183.146 ( talk) 20:59, 20 August 2023 (UTC) reply

Don't forget that vinyl will wear down a diamond!! 203.221.187.176 ( talk) — Preceding undated comment added 21:17, 13 September 2023 (UTC) reply

Featured picture scheduled for POTD

Hello! This is to let editors know that File:Diamond (side view).png, a featured picture used in this article, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for December 30, 2023. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2023-12-30. For the greater benefit of readers, any potential improvements or maintenance that could benefit the quality of this article should be done before its scheduled appearance on the Main Page. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  —  Amakuru ( talk) 13:32, 20 December 2023 (UTC) reply

Cathodoluminescence of a round-cut diamond

Diamond is a solid form of carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure known as diamond cubic. It is metastable at standard temperature and pressure, converting to the chemically stable form graphite under those conditions but at a negligible rate. Diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any natural material, properties that are useful in major industrial applications such as cutting and polishing tools. In addition to its industrial uses, diamond is much sought-after as a gemstone for use in jewelry. Most natural diamonds were formed between 1 billion and 3.5 billion years ago, at depths between 150 to 250 kilometres (93 to 155 mi) in the Earth's mantle. They were then carried to the surface more recently in volcanic eruptions and deposited in igneous rocks known as kimberlites and lamproites. This photograph shows the cathodoluminescence of a round-cut diamond, taken with the use of a scanning electron microscope. The image has a field of view of 3.45 millimetres (0.136 in).

Photograph credit: Pavel Somov

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