Carbonic anhydrase and the precipitation of apatite.

On theoretical grounds it is unlikely that the catalytic action of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase would be required for the precipitation of apatite in vitro. The presence of carbonic anhydrase in either active or inactivate form did not initiate precipitation in a metastable calcifying solution. It is unlikely that carbonate (or bicarbonate) ions are essential for the precipitation of apatite in vitro or in vivo.