ISOLATION OF CALCIUM-PHOSPHATE CRYSTALS OF BONE BY NONAQUEOUS METHODSAT LOW-TEMPERATURE

We have developed low temperature nonaqueous solution methods as well as low power plasma ashing for the degradation of the organic matrix o f bone powder which have permitted us to obtain bone crystals essentia lly free of organic matrix constituents without any significant change in their composition, overall structure, or internal short-range orde r, We have also been able to disperse the crystals, which has made it possible to examine the isolated crystals by X-ray diffraction and res olution-enhanced Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and is olated single crystals by high resolution transmission electron micros copy (TEM) and electron diffraction, TEM of isolated single crystals o f fish, chicken, mouse, and bovine bone have clearly demonstrated that the crystals are very thin plates. No rod or needle-like crystals wer e observed in any of the bone samples in the four species studied incl uding the earliest crystals deposited, Although there were variations in the size distribution of the crystals in the different species stud ied, in general the average crystal dimensions were very similar.