Calcium carbonate crystallization on xiphoid of the cuttlefish

Citation
F. Manoli et E. Dalas, Calcium carbonate crystallization on xiphoid of the cuttlefish, J CRYST GR, 217(4), 2000, pp. 422-428
Citations number
34
Categorie Soggetti
Physical Chemistry/Chemical Physics
Journal title
JOURNAL OF CRYSTAL GROWTH
ISSN journal
00220248 → ACNP
Volume
217
Issue
4
Year of publication
2000
Pages
422 - 428
Database
ISI
SICI code
0022-0248(200008)217:4<422:CCCOXO>2.0.ZU;2-5
Abstract
A mollusc shell, the xiphoid from cuttlefish was found to be a substrate fa vouring the deposition of aragonite crystals from stable supersaturated sol utions at pH 8.50 and 25 degrees C. The crystallization was studied at cons tant solution composition, thus making it possible for a relatively large a mount of the overgrowths to be formed and to be identified exclusively as a ragonite crystals. The apparent order found from kinetics data was n = 4.1 +/- 0.4, thus suggesting a polynuclear mechanism. A surface energy of 24 +/ - 3 mJ m(-2) was calculated for the growing phase and a four-ion cluster fo rming the critical nucleus, according to the classical nucleation theory. ( C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.