The carbonate ion in hydroxyapatite: recent X-ray and infrared results.

The location and orientation of the carbonate ion in the channel (A) and phosphate (B) positions of hydroxyapatite (CHAP) have been investigated by single-crystal X-ray structure and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, using crystals synthesized at high pressure. The type A carbonate ion is oriented in the apatite channel with two oxygen atoms close to the c-axis and the B carbonate ion is located near a sloping face of the substituted phosphate tetrahedron. Close comparison of FTIR and X-ray structure results shows that a Na-bearing CHAP containing approximately equal amounts of A and B carbonate ions is a realistic model for the overall crystal structure of biological apatite. However, the absence of distinct OH stretch and OH libration bands indicates that the hydroxyl content of biological apatite is disordered in respect to its orientation and precise location both in the channel and elsewhere in the structure.

Infrared spectra of carbonate apatites: v2-Region bands.

The proportions of A and B carbonate ions in a selection of AB carbonate apatites, including hydroxyapatite (CHAP), chlorapatite (CCLAP) and fluorapatite (CFAP), have been obtained using the out-of-plane bend (nu(2)) bands of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. Band area ratios (B/A) are in very good agreement with site occupancies from single-crystal X-ray structure refinement; the correlation is linear (1:1) for B/A values ranging up to three. Most compositions have nu(2) spectra with one band for A carbonate (at 878-880 cm(-1)) and one for B (at 870-872 cm(-1)). Na-free AB CHAP has a third prominent band at 862 cm(-1), which is assigned to the stuffed channel species (A2), and Na-bearing CFAP has a third band at 864 cm(-1), which is assigned to a second B carbonate environment (B2). The A2 and B2 assignments are based largely on spectral changes in annealed samples.

Synthesis of palladium nanoparticles by reaction of filamentous cyanobacterial biomass with a palladium(II) chloride complex.

The interaction of cyanobacterial biomass (Plectonema boryanum UTEX 485) with aqueous palladium(II) chloride (PdCl2 degrees ) has been investigated at 25-100 degrees C for up to 28 days. We report that the release of organic materials from the cyanobacteria promoted the precipitation of Pd(0) as crystalline spherical and elongate nanoparticles (< or =30 nm), both in solution and as dispersed and encrusted nanoparticles on cyanobacterial cells. In contrast, under abiotic conditions at 100 degrees C, palladium hydride (PdHx) was the principal palladium phase precipitated, with only minor amounts of palladium metal.

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles by filamentous cyanobacteria from a silver(I) nitrate complex.

The biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles has been successfully conducted using Plectonema boryanum UTEX 485, a filamentous cyanobacterium, reacted with aqueous AgNO3 solutions (approximately 560 mg/L Ag) at 25-100 degrees C for up to 28 days. The interaction of cyanobacteria with aqueous AgNO3 promoted the precipitation of spherical silver nanoparticles and octahedral (111) silver platelets (of up to 200 nm) in solutions. The mechanisms of silver nanoparticles via cyanobacteria could involve metabolic processes from the utilization of nitrate at 25 degrees C and also organics released from the dead cyanobacteria at 25-100 degrees C.

Coupled substitution of type A and B carbonate in sodium-bearing apatite.

A suite of Na-bearing type A-B carbonate hydroxyapatites {Ca(10-y)Na(y)[(PO4)(6-y)(CO3)y][(OH)(2-2x)(CO3)x], x approximately = y} has been synthesized at 1200 degrees C and 0.5-1.0 GPa, and investigated by single-crystal X-ray structure and FTIR spectroscopy. Crystal data for the maximum content of carbonate (11.1 wt%) are a = 9.3855(7), c = 6.9142(4) A, space group P6(3)/m, R = 0.023, R(w) = 0.014. Structural accommodation of the substitutions requires local coupling of Na and channel (type A) and phosphate (type B) carbonate ion defects. The type B carbonate ion is located on the sloping faces of the substituted phosphate group, but is inclined at an angle of 53 degrees to the mirror plane. FTIR spectra have minimal nu3 absorption beyond 1500 cm(-1) and dominant nu2 absorption at 873 cm(-1). Synthetic Na-bearing type A-B apatites (with a high content of type A carbonate) are thus similar in both chemical composition and infrared spectra to biological apatites. The latter are reinterpreted as Na-bearing type A-B carbonate apatites with channel carbonate up to 50% of total carbonate.

Mechanisms of gold bioaccumulation by filamentous cyanobacteria from gold(III)-chloride complex.

The mechanisms of gold bioaccumulation by cyanobacteria (Plectonema boryanum UTEX 485) from gold(III)-chloride solutions have been studied at three gold concentrations (0.8,1.7, and 7.6 mM) at 25 degrees C, using both fixed-time laboratory and real-time synchrotron radiation absorption spectroscopy (XAS) experiments. Interaction of cyanobacteria with aqueous gold(III)-chloride initially promoted the precipitation of nanoparticles of amorphous gold(I)-sulfide at the cell walls, and finally deposited metallic gold in the form of octahedral (111) platelets (approximately 10 nm to 6 microm) near cell surfaces and in solutions. The XAS results confirm that the reduction mechanism of gold(III)-chloride to metallic gold by cyanobacteria involves the formation of an intermediate Au(I) species, gold(I)-sulfide.

Synthesis of platinum nanoparticles by reaction of filamentous cyanobacteria with platinum(IV)-chloride complex.

Interaction of cyanobacteria (Plectonema boryanum UTEX 485) with aqueous platinum(IV)-chloride (PtCl(4) degrees ) has been investigated at 25-100 degrees C for up to 28 days, and 180 degrees C for 1 day. The addition of PtCl(4) degrees to the cyanobacteria culture initially promoted the precipitation of Pt(II)-organic material as amorphous spherical nanoparticles (< or =0.3 microm) in solutions and dispersed nanoparticles within bacterial cells. The spherical Pt(II)-organic nanoparticles were connected into long beadlike chains by a continuous coating of organic material derived from the cyanobacterial cells, and aged to nanoparticles of crystalline platinum metal with increase in temperature and reaction time. The stepwise reduction for the formation of platinum nanoparticles in the presence of cyanobacteria was deduced to be Pt(IV) [PtCl(4) degrees ] --> Pt(II) [Pt(II)-organics] --> Pt(0). Spherical platinum-bearing nanoparticles were not present in abiotic PtCl(4) degrees experiments conducted under similar conditions and duration.

Morphology of gold nanoparticles synthesized by filamentous cyanobacteria from gold(I)-thiosulfate and gold(III)--chloride complexes.

Plectonema boryanum UTEX 485, a filamentous cyanobacterium, has been reacted with aqueous Au(S(2)O(3))(2)(3)(-) and AuCl(4)(-) solutions ( approximately 400-550 mg/L Au) at 25-100 degrees C for up to 1 month and at 200 degrees C for 1 day. The interaction of cyanobacteria with aqueous Au(S(2)O(3))(2)(3)(-) promoted the precipitation of cubic (100) gold nanoparticles (<10-25 nm) at membrane vesicles and admixed with gold sulfide within cells and encrusted on the cyanobacteria, whereas reaction with AuCl(4)(-) resulted in the precipitation of octahedral (111) gold platelets ( approximately 1-10 microm) in solutions and nanoparticles of gold (<10 nm) within bacterial cells. Functional groups imaged by negative ion TOF-SIMS on (111) faces of the octahedral platelets were predominantly Cl and CN, with smaller amounts of C(2)H and CNO.

Local structure of channel ions in carbonate apatite.

Refinement of the single-crystal X-ray diffraction structure of a type A carbonate apatite [CAp; Ca10(PO4)6-y(CO3)x+(3/2)y(OH)2-2x, x=0.75, y=0.0; space group P3 ] has been continued with independent positional and isotropic displacement parameters for the carbonate oxygen atoms, reducing the residual indices significantly (R=0.024, Rw=0.020) and confirming the earlier structure assignment. The carbonate ion is located in the apatite channel at z approximately 0.5, and oriented with two oxygen atoms close to the c-axis. Rigid body refinement, giving a preferred structure, used a novel procedure for defining the ideal equilateral triangular geometry of the channel carbonate ion. Resolution of the channel carbonate ions in type A-B CAp (x=0.69, y=0.57; P63/m) is also improved. Channel carbonate ions in CAp are canted, rotated and displaced to optimize Ca2-O bond distances. The rotation of the A1 carbonate in type A-B CAp is opposite to that of the channel carbonate in type A CAp, due mainly to the accommodation of a second channel carbonate ion (A2). These structures simulate the local structure of type A carbonate in hydroxyapatite of bone and dental enamel.