Mon, November 24 2008, 04:21 EST

Researchers working in
Over the course of their research at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the trio of scientists -- Miguel Aptiga, Javier Morales, and Victor Castao – had noted that the ideal liquid for diamond creation contained a specific proportion of ethanol to water.
They realized that tequila contained roughly the same proportions: 40 percent organic liquid to 60 percent water. Out of curiosity, Aptiga bought a bottle of cheap tequila from the campus shop.
The researchers used a custom-built device to heat the tequila and convert it into a gas. They then heated the resulting gas to an even hotter temperature, 800 degrees Celsius. The result? Tiny diamond crystals about 100-400 nm in diameter. The crystals rained onto a stainless steel base, and formed a film made of diamonds.
"There is no doubt; tequila has the exact proportion of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms necessary to form diamonds," Ap?tiga said.
Jewelry enthusiasts shouldn`t get their hopes up, however. The diamonds are too tiny to be used in jewelry.
"It would be very difficult to obtain diamonds for a ring," Ap?tiga said.
The scientists foresee their tequila-diamonds being used for industrial purposes. Because diamonds are extraordinarily hard and heat-resistant, they`re often used in cutting tools, high-power semiconductors, radiation detectors and optical electronic devices.
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