Calcium Carbonate Polyamorphism and Its Role in Biomineralization: How Many Amorphous Calcium Carbonates Are There?

Although the polymorphism of calcium carbonate is well known, and its polymorphs—calcite, aragonite, and vaterite—have been highly studied in the context of biomineralization, polyamorphism is a much more recently discovered phenomenon, and the existence of more than one amorphous phase of calcium c...

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Main Authors: Cartwright, J., Checa, A., Gale, Julian, Gebauer, D., Ignacio Sainz-Diaz, C.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Wiley-VCH Verlag GMBH 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/25857
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author Cartwright, J.
Checa, A.
Gale, Julian
Gebauer, D.
Ignacio Sainz-Diaz, C.
author_facet Cartwright, J.
Checa, A.
Gale, Julian
Gebauer, D.
Ignacio Sainz-Diaz, C.
author_sort Cartwright, J.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Although the polymorphism of calcium carbonate is well known, and its polymorphs—calcite, aragonite, and vaterite—have been highly studied in the context of biomineralization, polyamorphism is a much more recently discovered phenomenon, and the existence of more than one amorphous phase of calcium carbonate in biominerals has only very recently been understood. Here we summarize what is known about polyamorphism in calcium carbonate as well as what is understood about the role of amorphous calcium carbonate in biominerals. We show that consideration of the amorphous forms of calcium carbonate within the physical notion of polyamorphism leads to new insights when it comes to the mechanisms by which polymorphic structures can evolve in the first place. This not only has implications for our understanding of biomineralization, but also of the means by which crystallization may be controlled in medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial contexts.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-258572018-03-29T09:08:11Z Calcium Carbonate Polyamorphism and Its Role in Biomineralization: How Many Amorphous Calcium Carbonates Are There? Cartwright, J. Checa, A. Gale, Julian Gebauer, D. Ignacio Sainz-Diaz, C. polyamorphism biomineralization solid-state structures amorphous materials calcium carbonate Although the polymorphism of calcium carbonate is well known, and its polymorphs—calcite, aragonite, and vaterite—have been highly studied in the context of biomineralization, polyamorphism is a much more recently discovered phenomenon, and the existence of more than one amorphous phase of calcium carbonate in biominerals has only very recently been understood. Here we summarize what is known about polyamorphism in calcium carbonate as well as what is understood about the role of amorphous calcium carbonate in biominerals. We show that consideration of the amorphous forms of calcium carbonate within the physical notion of polyamorphism leads to new insights when it comes to the mechanisms by which polymorphic structures can evolve in the first place. This not only has implications for our understanding of biomineralization, but also of the means by which crystallization may be controlled in medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial contexts. 2012 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/25857 10.1002/anie.201203125 Wiley-VCH Verlag GMBH restricted
spellingShingle polyamorphism
biomineralization
solid-state structures
amorphous materials
calcium carbonate
Cartwright, J.
Checa, A.
Gale, Julian
Gebauer, D.
Ignacio Sainz-Diaz, C.
Calcium Carbonate Polyamorphism and Its Role in Biomineralization: How Many Amorphous Calcium Carbonates Are There?
title Calcium Carbonate Polyamorphism and Its Role in Biomineralization: How Many Amorphous Calcium Carbonates Are There?
title_full Calcium Carbonate Polyamorphism and Its Role in Biomineralization: How Many Amorphous Calcium Carbonates Are There?
title_fullStr Calcium Carbonate Polyamorphism and Its Role in Biomineralization: How Many Amorphous Calcium Carbonates Are There?
title_full_unstemmed Calcium Carbonate Polyamorphism and Its Role in Biomineralization: How Many Amorphous Calcium Carbonates Are There?
title_short Calcium Carbonate Polyamorphism and Its Role in Biomineralization: How Many Amorphous Calcium Carbonates Are There?
title_sort calcium carbonate polyamorphism and its role in biomineralization: how many amorphous calcium carbonates are there?
topic polyamorphism
biomineralization
solid-state structures
amorphous materials
calcium carbonate
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/25857