Borazon << BAWR uh zahn >> is an artificially produced crystal that has the hardness of a diamond. It may be used in industry as an abrasive for shaping the hardest materials. Borazon can withstand temperatures of more than 3500 °F (1927 °C), while diamonds burn at 1600 °F (871 °C). Borazon is the only substance that can scratch a diamond. Diamonds can also scratch Borazon.
Borazon is made of equal numbers of atoms of the elements boron and nitrogen. To make Borazon, chemists heat boron and nitrogen at 3300 °F (1816 °C) under a pressure of 1 million pounds per square inch (70,000 kilograms per square centimeter). The substance was first produced in 1957 by Robert H. Wentorf, Jr., a physical chemist for the General Electric Company. In 1969, General Electric officially adopted the name Borazon as a trademark for the substance.
