Chapter 182’s scientific invention, which was completed by the American group. Senku did offer them some guidance, of course, but for the most part they did all the work by themselves.
However, this chapter was not the first-time diamonds have been mentioned in the story. Indeed, they have quite a history in this manga, one spanning 3,700 years.
The first time diamond is mentioned in the manga is in Chapter 28. Senku is looking for a material to grind down glass for Suika’s glasses, so he tells Chrome that diamond has the highest value when it comes to the Mohs scale of hardness (10). This would make the most ideal mineral with which to cut down glass, but they do not have any diamond at hand. So, they use corundum, which also works since it has a higher value on the Mohs scale than glass.
We also see diamond in chapter 60. Darya’s wedding ring was made of diamond, but she lent it to Byakuya’s group so that they would make a record. The record was made of the bottom of a glass bottle, so in a way, we do get confirmation that diamond can indeed cut glass.
There was also another ring in the series (From Carlos to Luna), though that was made of platinum and not diamond.
Diamond is later mentioned in chapter 101. Yes, it is part of the 100 Tales, since most of the Ishigami villagers are named after precious metals/stones. After the Soyuz Six made the record, the diamond was put into the space capsule. Senku later acquires the contents of the capsule in chapter 115, though the diamond ring is probably not in a state he can use currently.
Fast forward to chapter 177, and we learn that the Medusa’s core is made of diamond. To be specific, the battery of the Medusa is made of diamond. Compared to the record (Where diamond was used in cutting the glass, here the diamond is used as a direct power source).
Both the record and Medusa(s) transcended time, lasting over 3 millennia, which is a rather curious observation.
The Medusa that was on Treasure Island has a blackened diamond. Considering the Medusa is out of power, it can be interpreted that the blackening of the diamond is a sign that the diamond burned up. Several of the diamonds in the pile of Medusas which they find in the Amazon also have blackened. As expected, these are also not functional.
So, how do diamonds form? Naturally, they form deep within the earth’s crust. The mantle area of the earth (Ironic, considering there is a character named Mantle in the manga) contains carbon deposits. Considering there is magma underneath the earth as well (Another sense of irony), the combination of both high pressure and high temperature causes the carbon to crystallize, turning into diamonds. These diamonds are then transported to the earth through volcanic eruptions. (Lava)
There are also diamonds that are formed when an asteroid/meteorites crash onto earth, though very rarely.
Man-made diamonds, however, are made through a different process. One of them was seen in chapter 182, where Senku instructed the American group to use tungsten as the base. There was also the use of methanol. Methanol is a liquid which contains hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon. By heating it, both the hydrogen and oxygen vaporize, leaving behind carbon. Upon further heating (Which is why tungsten is used), the carbon crystallizes, and diamond is left behind as a residue. A vacuum has to be created in order to prevent an explosion from the oxygen.
This method is referred to as Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVP).
If the group wants to further ensure the diamonds are pure (There are no impurities), hydrogen would be used as a catalyst. Though in this case I doubt they will need to do that.
A rather interesting fact about diamonds. There are cultures in the world where people keep the remains of their loved ones as diamonds. Use their ashes for the crystallization process, and you get to carry them around with you as a keepsake.
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