Publications by authors named "Maria Cristina Castillo Alvarez"
Cryst Growth Des
November 2024
Article Synopsis
- Corals and mollusks create aragonite structures using proteins that are rich in aspartic acid and glycine, which play a crucial role in biomineralization.
- Research shows that aspartic acid, glycyl-l-aspartic acid, and tetra-aspartic acid all inhibit aragonite precipitation, while glycine does not have this effect.
- The study finds that aspartic acid is particularly effective in reducing precipitation rates and influencing crystal structure, suggesting its key role in shaping coral skeletons and controlling mineral formation.
Article Synopsis
- Understanding how temperature, pH, biomolecules, and mineral growth rates affect biogenic CaCO3 is key for developing palaeoproxies, and this study focuses on optimizing aragonite precipitation from seawater to simulate coral calcification conditions.
- The research finds that low levels of aspartic acid enhance aragonite formation, while high levels inhibit it, impacting mineral structure and morphology significantly.
- Additionally, variations in organic content of coral skeletons can alter the Raman spectra of aragonite, complicating interpretations of saturation states in calcification fluids.
