- 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