Crystallization of Calcium and Magnesium Phosphates from Solutions of Medium and Low Concentrations

Calcium phosphates are precipitated at 25 °C from solutions of medium (Ca = P = 50 mM) and low (Ca = P = 10 mM) concentrations in the presence of magnesium. Experiments are also performed with solutions in which Ca + Mg = P = 50 mM and Ca + Mg = P = 10 mM. An amorphous calcium phosphate, Ca₃ (PO₄)₂ · nH₂O, and brushite, CaHPO₄ · 2 H₂O, are the phases first nucleated. The phases occurring one year later are brushite in the more concentrated solutions, hydroxyapatite (Ca₅OH(PO₄)₃) and whitlockite (Ca₉MgH(PO₄)₇) in the others. Octacalciumphosphate, Ca₈H₂ (PO₄)₆ · 5H₂O, occurs as transitory phase. The effects of concentration, pH, supersaturation and magnesium on the precipitation and evolution of calcium phosphates, and the conditions for phase stability are discussed.