Ultra-hard particles of carbon produced by reacting metal carbide with non-metal halide in hot melt system

Claim 1

Ultra-hard particles having covalently bonded lattice structures composed largely of carbon and produced by reacting a carbide selected from the group consisting of acetylide carbides, interstitial carbides and other metal carbides with a halide or halogen reactant selected from the group consisting of CH n X A Y.sub.(4-n)-A, C 2 H n' X A' Y.sub.(6-n')-A', C 2 H n" X A" Y.sub.(4-n")-A", BX 3 , C 6 X 6 , C 5 X 5 N, SX 2 and X 2 wherein X and Y are different halogens selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, iodine and fluorine, and wherein A is an integer from 0 to 4, A' is an integer from 0 to 6 and A" is an integer from 0 to 4, and wherein n is an integer from 0 to 4, n' is an integer from 0 to 6 and n" is an integer from 0 to 4, wherein A, A', A", n, n' or n" is the same integer in any particular member selected and wherein n+A=4, n'+A'=6 and n"+A"=4, said reaction being carried out in a hot melt system having substantially no solvency capability for carbon comprising a molten solution of more than one metal halide wherein the metals are selected from the group consisting of Group I, Group II and Group III metals of the periodic table and the halides are selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, iodine and fluorine, said reaction being carried out at temperature and pressure conditions sufficient to maintain the melt system in the liquid state.