The Structure of the Diamond

Abstract

WE have applied the new methods of investigation involving the use of X-rays to the case of the diamond, and have arrived at a result which seems of considerable interest. The structure is extremely simple. Every carbon atom has four neighbours at equal distances from it, and in directions symmetrically related to each other. The directions are perpendicular to the four cleavage or (111) planes of the diamond; parallel, therefore, to the four lines which join the centre of a given regular tetrahedron to the four corners. The elements of the whole structure are four directions and one length, the latter being, in fact, 1·52 × 10^–8 cm. There is no acute angle in the figure. These facts supply enough information for the construction of a model which is easier to understand than a written description.