Diamond from the wine

Scientists in Mexico have discovered a way to create synthetic diamond from tequila " national soul " drug of the country.

The discovery was made by physicists at Mexico State University after 13 years of research. Tequila is heated to a low pressure, to about 800 degrees Celsius, the carbon content of the wine into diamond crystals.

These crystals are so small that they can only be seen under the microscope. Although they can not be used to make jewelery, they have a range of industrial applications, such as replacing computer chips, radioactive material, or medical imaging.

One great benefit of producing crystal diamond from tequila is that it is very cheap. Scientists say the cheapest tequila, $ 3 a bottle, can also be used to make diamonds.

Mexico produces hundreds of millions of liters of tequila every year. The annual export turnover of this wine reaches US $ 500 million.

Tequila bottles (Photo: AFP)