engleski

Biomineralization – how to investigate it?

From physico-chemical point of view biomineralization can be considered precipitation of inorganic salts in ecological systems and organisms. Formation of hard tissues in humans, animals and plants, such as bones, teethes and tooth enamel. is considered normal mineralization. Such tissues are also used as “deposit” for different ions, especially calcium and phosphates. Processes of mineral deposition in organic macromolecular matrix in soft tissue, such as: i) occurrence of urinary and/or kidney stones (urolithiases, nephrolithiasis), encrustates on urinary stents ; ii) teethes caries ; iii) gall stone ; iv) precipitation in joints (gout) ; v) arteriosclerosis (deposition CaCO3, limestone of the blood vessels) are considered pathological mineralization. Studying such a complex processes, as biomineralization is, requires different of experimental methods used for the determination of formation and crystal growth mechanisms. For the more detail insight, liquid and solid phase are investigated simultaneously, the chemical composition structure, morphology and particle size distribution are determinated. The potentiometry, ionic chromatography and UV-Vis spectroscopy are usually used for determination of changes caused with formation from solution. The particle size distribution in suspension also determined, but the microscopy, powder X- ray diffraction, molecular spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, thermogravimetry and FT-IR are used for precipitates characterization.

biomineralization

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