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Diamonds in detonation soot

Abstract

The physical structure and chemical bonding of the carbon in solid detonation products (soot) are largely unknown. It is well estab-lished that diamond can be manufactured by the application of explosive shocks to graphite loaded into the explosive, or in a fixture external to the explosive1. Here we report the formation of diamonds as a chemical product of the detonation process itself. The diamonds we observe are 4–7 nm in diameter and make up 25wt% of the soot; in size and infrared spectrum they resemble diamonds similarly isolated from meteorites2.

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Greiner, N., Phillips, D., Johnson, J. et al. Diamonds in detonation soot. Nature 333, 440–442 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/333440a0

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