Diamond nanoparticles detected in candlelight

Telegraph : Researchers at the UK’s University of St. Andrews may have discovered a new source of diamonds: a candle flame. Previous work had already shown that hydrocarbon molecules at the bottom of the flame are converted into carbon dioxide by the time they reach the top. To find out what happens in between, Wuzong Zhou and coworkers examined particles from the center of the flame and identified samples of all four known forms of carbon, including diamond. “Unfortunately the diamond particles are burned away in the process, and converted into carbon dioxide,” said Zhou. But if a way of extracting the particles could be discovered, it could lead to new methods of manufacturing diamonds. Their results have been published in Chemical Communications.