X-ray diffraction studies of a partially demineralized oriented cortical bone with the controlled depth of analysis.

The demineralization of bone tissue is used for simulating the osteoporosis related bone loss. This way would be helpful in observations of bone apatite dissolution in microstructural level and may give significant input for understanding crystal-chemistry of bone resorption. In the case of cortical bone, demineralization occurs inhomogeneously, with the formation of a superficial demineralized layer and a transition zone with a gradient of concentration and structural characteristics perpendicular to the reaction advance front.

Structural and crystal-chemical characteristics of the apatite deposits from human aortic walls.

Thermal behavior of biological apatite is the object of several studies. Crystal size, carbonate content, phase composition, and other parameters change during annealing up to 900 °C in biological minerals with apatite structure. The way these parameters change reflects the specific properties of the initial bioapatite.