АПАТИТ

Substance identification

Apatite is a mineral of the calcium phosphate group, calcium fluoride phosphate. English name APATITE, CAS 64476-38-6, chemical formula Ca5FO12P3 (Ca5F(PO4)3). Classification section - inorganic salts.

Synonyms

• Calcium fluoride phosphate (Ca5F(PO4)3)
• Fluorapatite (Ca7F2(PO4)4)
• Phosphate rock
• UNII-M4CM1H238J

Physico-chemical characteristics

• Molecular weight: 504.3 g/mol
• Exact mass: 503.671619 g/mol
• EU number: 215-144-1
• PSA characteristic: 259 Å2

Mineralogical characteristics

Apatite is a group of calcium phosphate minerals with the general formula Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH), where the predominant anionic species (fluorine, chlorine or hydroxyl) determines the specific mineral species: fluorapatite, chlorapatite or hydroxyapatite. Fluorapatite is the most common and industrially significant variety. Large deposits of apatite are developed as phosphate ore for the chemical industry.

Industrial Application

Apatite serves as the main raw material for the production of phosphate fertilizers, phosphoric acid and elemental phosphorus, which is also used in the match industry. Used in ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, in the production of ceramics and glass. When apatite is treated with water steam, the crystal lattice of fluorapatite is destroyed, up to 90% of the contained fluorine is removed and phosphorus is transferred into forms assimilable by plants, which underlies the technology for producing defluorinated phosphates. The fluoride component of fluorapatite also serves as a source of fluoride for compounds used in toothpastes and in the fluoridation of drinking water.

Purpose as an analytical standard

It is used as a reference material in the mineralogical and geochemical analysis of phosphate rocks, and also as a model compound in the study of biomineralization, since hydroxyapatite, the mineral basis of the bone and dental tissue of vertebrates, is structurally related to apatite.

Synthetic analogue

Synthetic hydroxyapatite, obtained by precipitation from solutions of calcium and phosphate salts, is used in biomedicine as a material for bone implants and endoprosthesis coatings due to its biocompatibility and structural similarity to the mineral phase of bone tissue, as well as in chromatography as a sorbent for the separation of proteins and nucleic acids. Natural apatite often contains impurities of manganese, strontium and rare earth elements, which are used in geochronology to date rocks using track analysis and the uranium-lead method using apatite inclusions.

Storage and handling

Store in a dry place, in a closed container, protecting it from contamination by foreign impurities. The mineral does not have any special safety requirements for dangerous cargo; When working with crushed material, it is recommended to avoid prolonged inhalation of dust and use respiratory protection.