- Discussion:
- inorganic phase of bone accounts for about 65% of its dry wt;
- bulk of the mineral in bone is composed of calcium & phosphate, which
in adult is primarily crystalline in structure and resembles
synthetic
hydroxyapatite crystals;
- minor mineral constituents of bone are magnesium, sodium, potassium,
and a number of trace elements (zinc, manganese, fluoride, and
molybdenum) considered to be adsorbed on the bone surface;
- it is not known whether these trace elements have a role in skeletal
metabolism or merely represent adsorption resulting from their
presence in foodstuffs;
