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Zinc Phosphate Nanoparticles Produced in Saliva
Author(s) -
Saloga Patrick E. J.,
Smales Glen J.,
Clark Adam H.,
Thünemann Andreas F.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european journal of inorganic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1099-0682
pISSN - 1434-1948
DOI - 10.1002/ejic.202000521
Subject(s) - chemistry , zinc , nanoparticle , zinc phosphate , saliva , amorphous solid , phosphate , mineralization (soil science) , chemical engineering , radius of gyration , inorganic chemistry , polymer , crystallography , organic chemistry , biochemistry , nitrogen , engineering
This paper reports the formation of zinc phosphate nanoparticles from the artificial digestion of zinc chloride. Initially, the formation of amorphous primary particles with a mean radius of 1.1 nm is observed, alongside the formation of larger, protein stabilized aggregates. These aggregates, with a radius of gyration of 37 nm, are observed after 5 minutes of exposure to artificial saliva and are shown to be colloidally stable for a minimum time of two weeks. The initially formed primary particles are thought to consist of amorphous zinc phosphate, which is then transformed into crystalline Zn 3 (PO 4 ) 2 · 4H 2 O over the course of two weeks. Our results demonstrate that the interaction of inorganic salts with bodily fluids can induce the formation of de novo nanoparticles, which in turn, provides insights into how zinc‐enriched foods may also facilitate the formation of nanoparticles upon contact with saliva. As such, this may be considered as an undesirable (bio)mineralization.