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Effect of Carbonate on the Lattice Parameters of Apatite

Abstract

THE mode of carbonate substitution into the apatite structure of calcified tissues has been a controversial issue for many years. McConnell has advanced the theory that carbonate groups substitute for the phosphate groups in the apatite structure of both the mineral carbonate apatites (for example, dahllite, staffelite or francolite) and the calcified tissues of teeth and bone1,2. This theory is compatible with the decreased a-axis which accompanies CO3 inclusion in the mineral apatites3. (An a-axis contraction can be expected when the smaller planar CO3 group substitutes for the larger tetrahedral PO4 group.)

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ZAPANTA-LEGEROS, R. Effect of Carbonate on the Lattice Parameters of Apatite. Nature 206, 403–404 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/206403a0

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