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Author(s) -
Hasse Bernd,
Ehrenberg Helmut,
Marxen Julia C.,
Becker Wilhelm,
Epple Matthias
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/1521-3765(20001016)6:20<3657::aid-chem3657>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - aragonite , calcium carbonate , calcite , fluorapatite , carbonate , crystallization , mineralogy , materials science , chemistry , crystallography , apatite , metallurgy , composite material , organic chemistry
The cover picture shows the sweet‐water snail Biomphalaria glabrata. Its shell consists of calcium carbonate in the aragonite modification (see the packing plot, upper left). The composition of the shell in embroynic and adults snails was studied with high‐end solid state chemical methods, that is synchrotron powder diffractometry (EXAFS, upper right). The delicate structure of the shell and the extraordinary hardness compared with “simple” calcium carbonate is due to the biological control of the crystallization process. If calcium carbonate is crystallized in the laboratory, usually the calcite modification (lower right) is obtained. This work is described in more detail by M. Epple et al. on p. 3679 ff.