title: Isolation of a wide range of minerals from a thermally treated plant: Equisetum arvense, a Mare's tale.
abstract: Silica is the second most abundant biomineral being exceeded in nature only by biogenic CaCO3. Many land plants (such as rice, cereals, cucumber, etc.) deposit silica in significant amounts to reinforce their tissues and as a systematic response to pathogen attack. One of the most ancient species of living vascular plants, Equisetum arvense is also able to take up and accumulate silica in all parts of the plant. Numerous methods have been developed for elimination of the organic material and/or metal ions present in plant material to isolate biogenic silica. However, depending on the chemical and/or physical treatment applied to branch or stem from Equisetum arvense; other mineral forms such glass-type materials (i.e. CaSiO3), salts (i.e. KCl) or luminescent materials can also be isolated from the plant material. In the current contribution, we show the chemical and/or thermal routes that lead to the formation of a number of different mineral types in addition to biogenic silica.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sola-Rabada
authors.affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Engesserstrasse 15, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany.|Karlsruhe Institute of Technology DFG-Center for Functional Nanostructures (CFN), Wolfgang-Gaede-Straße 1a, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rinck
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Belton
authors.affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Engesserstrasse 15, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Annie K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK. carole.perry@ntu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Carole C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Perry
mesh_terms: D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D020829:Equisetum / Q000737:chemistry*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008903:Minerals / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals
keywords: Calcium sulphide; Equisetum arvense; Silica; Vitrification; Wollastonite