What is Diamond?

Are you looking for an easy way to teach your child about rocks and minerals? We’ve put together a set of free materials that parents and teachers can use right away. In this lesson, your child will dive into the fascinating world of diamonds.

We’ll explore the structure, formation, and uses of the hardest natural mineral. Explore science in a more engaging way with captivating 3D videos and interactive quizzes. Download our app to get started!

What you will learn from this lesson

How Is A Diamond Structured?

What is a diamond? Diamond is a mineral that, like graphite, is composed entirely of carbon atoms. Despite this shared composition, the structure of diamond is completely different from other carbon forms. The carbon atoms within a diamond form a strong, solid, three-dimensional (3D) structure. This tightly bonded arrangement of carbon atoms makes diamond the hardest natural mineral on Earth, with a Mohs hardness of 10. Due to its transparent and firm structure, a diamond, when found in its natural state, often has a distinctive shape, sometimes appearing like two pyramids combined together (an octahedron).

Where Do Diamonds Form?

Diamond formation requires a very unique environment. It takes billions of years for a diamond to fully form. This formation occurs deep underground, specifically within the Earth’s mantle, at depths of about 150 to 240 kilometers (roughly 100 miles).

The process requires the carbon atoms to be compressed under extremely high temperature and pressure. These intense conditions squeeze the atoms together to create the diamond’s strong, tight structure. Diamonds are brought to the surface during volcanic eruptions, where they are released along with the magma.

What Is Diamond Used For?

Diamond is used across many industries and for various purposes. Its exceptional hardness makes it valuable for cutting tools and drill bits. When embedded in these tools, diamond can be used to easily cut through hard materials like rock. Beyond industrial applications, pure diamonds can be cut and polished into gemstones, making them popular for use in jewelry. Synthetic diamonds can also be created in a laboratory by placing materials like graphite under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions.

Fun Fact

• Diamond is made from the element carbon, just like the graphite in a pencil.
• Even though diamonds are often colorless, they can naturally be blue, red, green, or yellow due to impurities.
• Since diamonds are so strong, they are used in things like glass cutters and drill bits.

Vocabulary

• Carbon Atoms: These are the tiny basic pieces that everything is made of, and a diamond is made only of carbon atoms.
• Mohs Hardness: This is a special scale or way to measure how easily a mineral can be scratched. Diamond is the hardest natural mineral, with the highest score of 10.
• Allotrope: These are different forms of the same chemical element. Diamond and graphite are both allotropes because they are both made of carbon but have different structures.
• Octahedron: This is the special, eight-sided shape that a diamond often has when it is found in nature. It looks like two pyramids stuck together at their wide, flat bases.