Diamonds in detonation soot

The physical structure and chemical bonding of the carbon in solid detonation products (soot) are largely unknown. It is well established that diamond can be manufactured by the application of explosive shocks to graphite loaded into the explosive, or in a fixture external to the explosive. Here we report the formation of diamonds as a chemical product of the detonation process itself. The diamonds we observe are 4-7 nm in diameter and make up 25 wt% of the soot; in size and infrared spectrum they resemble diamonds similarly isolated from meteorities.