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Updated: Sep 9, 2026

Comprehensive Characterization of Tissue Mineralization in an Ex Vivo Model
Published on: September 27, 2024
Revisiting the inorganic component of bone: beyond the accepted concept of "mineral"
Henry P Schwarcz1,2, Viktória K Kis3,4
1School of Earth, Environment and Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Abstract:
Bone is widely believed to be constructed of apatite with a composition close to that of hydroxyapatite. The mineral of bone is a made up of polycrystalline 5 nm-thick plates of a monoclinic crystal with a composition like that of apatite but differing from that mineral in most significant respects. Although it is a well-defined crystalline species with diagnostic shape, size, composition range and symmetry, it is not a new mineral because it is not known to grow in any known geological environment. It appears to be a different crystalline phase from apatite.
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