Role of Metabolic Acids in Shaping Bone-like Apatite Architectures

Bone mineral forms both inside and between collagen fibrils in the extracellular matrix. While the morphology of intrafibrillar bone mineral has been hypothesized to be primarily controlled by the size and shape of the restricted spaces inside collagen fibrils within which the mineral forms, what controls the architecture of the extrafibrillar mineral is still an open question. While bone mineral is primarily apatitic in composition, it also contains significant quantities of cell respiration me