Hydrolytic conversion of amorphous calcium phosphate into apatite accompanied by sustained calcium and orthophosphate ions release.

The aim of this study is to investigate the calcium and orthophosphate ions release during the transformation of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) to hydroxyapatite (HA) in aqueous solution. The ACP is prepared by a wet chemical method and further immersed in the distilled water for various time points till 14d. The release of calcium and orthophosphate ions is measured with calcium and phosphate colorimetric assay kits, respectively. The transition of ACP towards HA is detected by x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results indicate that the morphological conversion of ACP to HA occurs within the first 9h, whereas the calcium and orthophosphate ions releases last for over 7d. Such sustained calcium and orthophosphate ions release is very useful for ACP as a candidate material for hard tissue regeneration.