84 



THE HON. SIR CHARLES ALGERNON PARSONS: EXPERIMENTS ON 



It was thought that the vapour from boiling iron saturated with carbon might, by 

 the action of bisulphide of carbon, cause a crystalline deposit, but all the experiments 

 to this end yielded no results. 



Experiments under X-ray Vacuum. 



Experiments were made under X-ray vacuum in a new chamber of cast iron with 

 very thick walls to absorb the heat, exhausted through an 8-inch diameter suction 

 by a large molecular pump alongside, in series with a dry, high speed, two stage, 

 pump, 12-inch diameter pistons, and last of the series a 3-iuch + 2-inch compound 



Vent holes 

 through 

 crucible 



Carbon 

 Hock 



Fig. 12. 



Fleuss. The crucible was resistance-heated as before (fig. 12). No diamond was 

 produced in any of these experiments, except in those where iron, sand, and other 

 elements, with or without sulphur, were first heated and well boiled in the carbon 

 crucible at atmospheric pressure, and after cooling transferred to the vacuum furnace 

 and re-heated by resistance, under X-ray vacuum ; violent ebullition occurred owing 

 to the liberation of occluded gases, and many iron spherules were ejected, which 

 cooled by radiation and conduction where they fell; diamond was found in these, 

 which burnt in oxygen, but no diamond was ever found in the ingot remaining in the 

 crucible. 



