Diamond, a form of crystalline carbon, has long been treasured as a precious jewel. However, for many years, tiny diamond particles, equivalent to a billionth of a billionth of a carat, have plagued oil workers when the particles clump together and clog pipelines. These particles, called diamondoids, can be found in crude oil at concentrations up to thousands of parts per million. Similar diamondlike carbon nanoparticles occur in meteorites, interstellar dust, and protoplanetary nebulae. High-explosive detonations have produced much larger, less pure diamond nanoparticles.
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