Resumen de Classroom Demonstration: Combustion of Diamond to Carbon Dioxide Followed by Reduction to Graphite

Takuya Miyauchi, Masahiro Kamata

• An educational demonstration shows the combustion of carbon to carbon dioxide and then the reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon. A melee diamond is the source of the carbon and the reaction is carried out in a closed flask. The demonstration helps students to realize that diamonds are made of carbon and that atoms do not change or vanish in chemical reactions (conservation of mass). The demonstration was preformed for eighth grade students, and the responses from them were very positive.