Applications and manufacturing of artificial diamondsDiamonds are very unique. Their hardness and beauty have captivated people for many years. Now, some of the attributes that make them attractive also make them useful. To understand these attributes, carbon chemistry is very important. This unique chemistry is what makes them so difficult to make. A lot of research has gone into diamond manufacturing, which has led to many successes in this field. These discoveries led to the creation of machines and processes that make diamond manufacturing more efficient and reliable. Of course, all this research and discoveries would not be sought after without the many applications of diamonds. This is true for cosmetic, industrial and electronic purposes. Diamonds can be very intricate but have many uses. The chemistry of diamonds is very interesting. Diamonds are composed mainly of carbon. Carbon can also exist as graphite, in a carbon chain, or as buckminsterfullerene. It never forms bonds and leaves electron pairs unshared. In graphite, carbon atoms form sp2 bonds. In this type of bond, an electron from the s orbital jumps to the p orbital to complete the octet with the other carbon atoms. When this happens, the orbital flattens and the result is a large lattice in a two-dimensional plane (Oxtoby). These networks are attracted to each other and are not bonded to each other by graphite compounds. Although they are made of the same carbon, the diamond compound is different due to the type of bonds. Each atom forms four directional sp3 bonds instead of the three resonant bonds of graphite. This allows the diamond to maintain its tetrahedral shape. This is also what makes diamonds so hard. The tetrahedral sh...... middle of paper ...... January 1999.Elert, Glenn. “Pressures used to create artificial diamonds. » 1998. Frogley, Elizabeth. “Very good fake diamonds. » November 6, 2002. Gurov, Ivan Ivanovitch. “Diamond manufacturing method”. November 2000. Hoover, Aaron. "Simply brilliant: the Uf/Russian team makes gem quality diamonds." Daily science news. August 1999. Krane, Kenneth. Modern physics. United States: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1996. Oxtoby, Freeman, Block. Chemistry, Science of Change. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing. 1998.