Diamonds Can Burn
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for nutherguy:
Diamonds are carbon, just like coal. It takes a bit more to get them burning and keep them burning than coal, but they will burn, as numerous YouTube demonstrations will attest. The trick is to create the right conditions so that a solid diamond can react with the oxygen required to fuel a fire.
[...] When first heated, a diamond will glow red, then white. The heat enables a reaction between the surface of the diamond and the air, converting the carbon to the colorless and odorless gas carbon monoxide (a carbon atom plus an oxygen atom).
"The carbon plus the oxygen to make carbon monoxide generates heat; the carbon monoxide reacting with the oxygen generates more heat; the rising heat causes the carbon monoxide to move away, so more oxygen is brought in," he told Live Science.
[...] That fire, however, will amount to only a glow. Nurturing a flame on the surface of a diamond usually requires an extra boost: 100% oxygen rather than room air, which is only 22% oxygen. This increase in concentration gives the reaction all that it needs to self-perpetuate. The carbon monoxide rising from the diamond ignites in the presence of oxygen, creating a fire that seems to dance on the stone's surface.
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