Raman, FT-IR and XRD study of bovine bone mineral and carbonated apatites with different carbonate levels

A series of B-type carbonated apatites with varying carbonate levels were synthesized in order to analyze how synthetic materials and natural bone structure change with carbonate contents. FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction have been employed as combined tools to study the structural change of synthetic carbonated apatite and nature bone mineral. B-type carbonated apatites have been extensively investigated because they resemble most closely of mineral phase of nature bone. In this study, we found that hydroxyl ions in the apatite lattice are reduced as the carbonate contents increase. These results demonstrate that the substitution of tetrahedron phosphate ions by planar carbonate ions causes the structural deficiency of hydroxyl ions.