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Smithson Tennant
Smithson Tennant 1761-1815, English chemist. In 1796 he proved, by burning a diamond, that the diamond consists solely of carbon. In 1804 he announced his discovery of osmium and iridium.
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diamond
diamond mineral, one of two crystalline forms of the element carbon (see allotropy ), the hardest natural substance known, used as a gem and in industry.
Properties
Diamonds crystallize in the isometric system (see crystal ) commonly as transparent to translucent white, colorless, yel...
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diamond
diamond mineral, one of two crystalline forms of the element carbon (see allotropy ), the hardest natural substance known, used as a gem and in industry.
Properties
Diamonds crystallize in the isometric system (see crystal ) commonly as transparent to translucent white, colorless, yel...
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Diamond Jim Brady
Diamond Jim Brady (James Buchanan Brady), 1856-1917, American financier and philanthropist, b. New York City. He was a bellboy and messenger and then worked for the New York Central RR in various capacities. He later was employed by a railroad supply company, and his selling ability rapidly brought...
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Kimberley
Kimberley , city (1991 pop. 167,060), Northern Cape, South Africa. Since the 19th cent. the city has been primarily a diamond-mining center, but underground mining, which had not been profitable for some time, was halted in mid-2005. The mine's tailings dumps continue to be processed, and textiles, ...
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abrasive
abrasive material used to grind, smooth, cut, or polish another substance. Natural abrasives include sand , pumice , corundum , and ground quartz . Carborundum ( silicon carbide ) and alumina (aluminum oxide) are important synthetically produced abrasives. The hardest abrasives are natural or...
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macromolecule
macromolecule term that may refer either to a crystal such as a diamond, in which the atoms are identical and held by covalent bonds (see chemical bond ) of equal strength, or to one of the units that compose a polymer . Macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids are vital to the functio...
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Alfred Beit
Alfred Beit , 1853-1906, South African financier, b. Hamburg. He went to South Africa in 1875, grew rich from the development of diamond mines, and was a colleague and lieutenant of Cecil Rhodes in Rhodesia. A philanthropist, he founded a chair for colonial history at the Univ. of Oxford and made ma...
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bushmaster
bushmaster large venomous snake, Lachesis muta, of Central America and N South America. It is a member of the pit viper family, which also includes the rattlesnake. The largest New World snake, it reaches a length of 8 to 12 ft (2.5-5.5 m). It is gray and brown, with a diamond pattern. Unlike m...
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Affair of the Diamond Necklace
Affair of the Diamond Necklace scandal that took place at the court of King Louis XVI of France just before the French Revolution. An adventuress who called herself the comtesse de La Motte duped Cardinal de Rohan , the grand almoner, who was out of favor with Queen Marie Antoinette , into believ...
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