Ask A Scientist Materials Science Archive

name
status       student
grade        6-8
location     NJ

Question -   when a diamond melts, will it reform into a diamond when
it cools?  If not, what happens?
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If you were able to melt a diamond (this would have to be done in a 
container free of oxygen or the diamond would burn), when it cooled it 
would not be a diamond anymore.  Note that the diamond is made of the 
element carbon.  To be a diamond the carbon atoms have to be in a special 
order or stacking relative to each other.  When you melt the diamond the 
carbon atoms are no longer in this special order and when it cools back 
down they do not return to the original stacking.

There are other forms of carbon, such as graphite and amorphous 
carbon.  Most likely you would end up with amorphous carbon.

Greg Bradburn
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