title: Observation of the phase transition in the growth of a biomineralized calcium carbonate.
abstract: Transmission electron microscope studies of the cellular nucleation sites of a biomineralized calcium carbonate(aragonite) in the lamellar nacreous layer of the bivalvia Cristaria plicata (Leach) shell showed that the low density calcium particles were confined within some large vesicles of the bivalve mantle cells on which the crystalline aragonite phases were deposited. These vesicles served as the nucleation sites for the growth of the crystals. The crystalline phases at the first few lamellae were mostly imperfect while the whole nacreous layer acquitted itself into a highly oriented biomineralized aragonite. The structure of the vesicles is addressed in detail.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D001692:Biological Transport; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007865:Leeches
chemical_list: D002119:Calcium Carbonate