Publication details
Raman spectroscopy of calcium oxalate hydrates in plants
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | There are several types of biominerals in plants; the most common are crystals and aggregates of calcium oxalate (CaOx), calcium carbonate (amorphous CaCO3 or calcite) and amorphous silica. Ca-oxalates are represented by three hydrated forms of CaC2O4: whewellite (monohydrate; COM), weddellite (dihydrate; COD), and caoxite (trihydrate; COT). The most common mineral is COM whereas COD and COT are considered to be metastable phases; on the other hand, they are assumed to be precursor phases during COM or COD formation. Plant crystals are formed from endogenously synthesized oxalic acid which combines with calcium from the environment. We used synthetic analogues of CaOx hydrates to acquire high-resolution reference Raman spectra. Consequently, we identified different CaOx hydrates in leaves of five different species of the Araceae family. |