Bone is a composite material formed by the nucleation and growth of a mineral highly resembling calcium hydroxyapatite, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, within an organic matrix consisting mainly of type I collagen. Seventy percent of mature bone consists of the inorganic phase while the organic matrix and water fills the rest. Development of fast and reliable methodologies capable of analyzing chemically the major bone constituents is needed. In the present work, Raman spectroscopy, a non-destructive technique, was applied as such a tool on bovine cortical and trabecular parts of bone. Preliminary results show that their mineral to organic ratio differs at 30%.
(EL)
University of Patras
