SOME CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM FROM WHICH NATURAL DIAMONDS CRYSTALLIZE

Abstract

Based on previous calculations by the authors, they conclude that of all of the containing compounds, the main source of diamond in the upper mantle (the zone were diamonds are thermodynamically stable) is methane. Since the inclusions contain both oxidized (CO2, H2O) and reduced (CO, H2 N2) components, some of these may be epigenetic in origin. In addition nitrogen and hydrogen occur in diamond not only as gas-liquid inclusions, but also in lattice bound forms. Therefore they may be regarded as the primary components and thus are the components capable of yielding the most information on the origin of diamond. The distribution of lattice-bound nitrogen in various forms and of hydrogen of C2H2 centers in natural diamonds is considered in detail below. The concentrations of lattice-bound nitrogen and hydrogen in diamonds were evaluated by IR spectroscopy in the relevant absorption bands, and the morphological characters and internal structure of the crystals were studied by X-ray topography. Study results are discussed.