# microwave a diamond
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microwave-a-diamond/384408
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 16, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microwave-a-diamond/384408 "2006-12-16T16:59:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@NadaHappyCamper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NadaHappyCamper)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microwave-a-diamond/384408/1 "2006-12-16T16:59:49Z")
What would be the result of microwaving a diamond?
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microwave-a-diamond/384408/2 "2006-12-16T17:05:05Z")
A slightly warm diamond, most likely. Diamond is an excellent electrical insulator, but a high heat capacity–to the extent that a specific heat measurement is a nearly foolproof test for diamond. Some microwaves will be absorbed and converted to heat, as in any material, but that’s about it. Certainly nothing spectacular like you can get with the right conductive materials.
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microwave-a-diamond/384408/3 "2006-12-16T17:14:20Z")
The diamond will heat up.
[Microwave Brazing of Polycrystalline Diamond Onto Drill Bits](http://www.nasatech.com/Briefs/Dec98/NPO20080.html):
> [@](#):
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> The major problem in fabricating the improved drill bits is to use higher-melting-temperature brazing materials and to heat the braze joints accordingly to effect brazing, without overheating the diamond. “Overheating” in this context means heating to a temperature 1,200 °C, causing the diamond to become graphitized and thereby to lose resistance to wear.
There are some who use [microwaves to make diamonds](http://www.rangeguide.net/diamonds.htm):
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> STEP 1
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> Using a pyrex microwave cooking dish with lid, place two charcoal brickets covered with 4 ounces of peanut butter inside. Microwave on high for 60 minutes at 10 minute intercals.
More seriously: [Electron density in moderate pressure diamond deposition discharges](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TWV-409VPFN-K&_coverDate=05%2F31%2F2000&_alid=509535318&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_qd=1&_cdi=5572&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=a35da53dedcce363c029a5c99c64246b)
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> The electron density is measured in a microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition diamond reactor at moderate pressures (5–60 Torr) using a millimeter-wave open resonator technique. The discharge plasma is generated using a resonant cavity excited at the frequency 2.45 GHz. The absorbed input power of 400 W generates a microwave discharge…