Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.5562/cca2197

The Influence of a Protein Fragment Extracted from Abalone Shell Green Layer on the Precipitation of Calcium Carbonate Polymorphs in Aqueous Media

Branka Njegić-Džakula orcid.org/0000-0002-3003-0695 ; Laboratory for Precipitation Processes, Ruđer Bošković Institute, P. O. Box 180, HR-10002 Zagreb, Croatia
Michela Reggi ; Dipartimento di Chimica “G. Ciamician”, Università di Bologna, via Selmi 2, I-40126 Bologna, Italy
Giuseppe Falini ; Dipartimento di Chimica “G. Ciamician”, Università di Bologna, via Selmi 2, I-40126 Bologna, Italy
Igor Weber orcid.org/0000-0003-4296-3166 ; Laboratory for Electron Microscopy, Ruđer Bošković Institute, P. O. Box 180, HR-10002 Zagreb, Croatia
Ljerka Brečević ; Laboratory for Precipitation Processes, Ruđer Bošković Institute, P. O. Box 180, HR-10002 Zagreb, Croatia
Damir Kralj orcid.org/0000-0002-4152-4893 ; Laboratory for Precipitation Processes, Ruđer Bošković Institute, P. O. Box 180, HR-10002 Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Many living organisms form mineral phases through biologically controlled processes, known as
biomineralization. Thus created materials are composites of both, mineral and organic components. The
shell of the gastropod mollusc red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) consists of calcite and aragonite layers,
each of them containing characteristic biopolymers responsible for biomineralization. In this work, the
effect of interstitial green sheet polypeptide, GP, extracted from the green layer of the mollusc red abalone
shell, on the process of spontaneous precipitation of calcium carbonate polymorphs, was investigated.
Three precipitation systems, in which the initial mineralogical composition of the precipitate was
different, have been studied. Thus, in system (1) calcite appeared, in system (2) a mixture of calcite and
vaterite was found, while in system (3), ASW, only aragonite precipitated. However, the precipitation
kinetic measurements, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, and light and scanning electron microscopy
indicated that the addition of GP in the model systems caused the inhibition of precipitation and change of
morphology of crystals as a consequence of GP adsorption on the crystal surfaces and its entrapment into
the mineral structure. (doi: 10.5562/cca2197)

Keywords

calcium carbonate; calcite; aragonite; vaterite; green sheet polypeptide (GP)

Hrčak ID:

101908

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/101908

Publication date:

3.5.2013.

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