Scientists at Mexico's National Autonomous University are discovering the joys of tequila. While the Mexican drink is well known as an essential component of margarita – a popular cocktail among women - it has now been revealed as an ideal source for the creation of diamonds.

Luis Miguel Apatiga, a doctor in engineering of materials, directs an applied physics and technology investigation centre. He and his colleagues have discovered that tequila contains hydrogen, oxygen and carbon in exactly the proportions needed to form diamonds. The recipe also requires the application of extreme heat.

Dr Apatiga had spent many months experimenting with other materials that might be able to produce diamonds, but then, when alcohol was introduced to the experiments, he hit upon the idea of testing tequila. 

"Well one day after a long thought process, I decided to buy a cheap bottle of tequila - not a very good brand - and it was the first one we experimented with. In fact a student was here. We have a student who is preparing his doctorate thesis and I discussed this possibility with him. I said: 'What do you think if we use tequila instead of ethanol and water?

At first, Apatiga doubted his experiment would work, as other chemical ingredients which give tequila its aroma and flavour, could contaminate the final product but the test was successful. 

The experiment consists of injecting very small liquid quantities into a heating system.

"Basically the equipment works at two temperatures. The first is 280°C and that is the temperature we need so that once the tequila is injected into the precursor in its liquid form, it evaporates and then we push that vapour a couple of centimetres further forward into a reaction chamber." 

Heating the released vapours from the evaporated tequila at high temperatures causes carbon molecules to separate and form diamonds. 

"This chamber is found at 800°C which is a higher temperature to when it evaporated. At that temperature, tequila vapour molecules break apart into smaller fragments and within these fragments, carbon atoms are found."