Problems in the choice of a representative bone for mineral analysis: evidence from five bones of rats at two stages of development.

The concentration of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper and iron, and moisture content differed among five different bones in young rats at two stages of development. The femur is considered in numerous studies of bone development to be representative of the pattern of mineralisation in all bones in the rat. The present study indicates that caution must be exercised in this generalisation, depending on the particular mineral and on the age of the rat.