Principles of demineralization: Modern strategies for the isolation of organic frameworks: Part II. Decalcification

This is the second paper on principles of demineralization. The initial paper is dedicated to the common definitions and the history of demineralization. In present work we review the principles and mechanisms of decalcification, i.e., removing the mineral Ca-containing compounds (phosphates and carbonates) from the organic matrix in its two main aspects: natural and artificial. Natural chemical erosion of biominerals (cavitation of biogenic calcareous substrata by bacteria, fungi, algae, foraminifera, sponges, polychaetes, and mollusks) is driven by production of mineral and organic acids, acidic polysaccharides, and enzymes (cabonic anhydrase, alkaline and phosphoprotein phosphataes, and H+-ATPase). Examples of artifical decalcification includes demineralization of bone, dentin and enamel, and skeletal formations of corals and crustacean. The mechanism and kinetics of Ca-containing biomineral dissolution is analyzed within the framework of (i) diffusion-reaction theory; (ii) surface-reaction controlled, morphology-based theories, and (iii) phenomenological surface coordination models. The application of surface complexation model for describing and predicting the effect of organic ligands on calcium and magnesium dissolution kinetics is also described. Use of the electron microscopy-based methods for observation and visualization of the decalcification phenomenon is discussed.