Crystal growth of fluoridated hydroxyapatites inhibited in the presence of gelatin.

Three types of fluoridated hydroxyapatites were synthesized in the presence of low concentrations of gelatin solution. The crystallinity of gelatin-free fluoridated hydroxyapatites increased at high degree of fluoridation, after it showed complex behavior at lower fluoride content. However, increasing of gelatin concentration in the solution, the crystallinity decreased, especially at high fluoride content. Chemical analysis and a- and c-axis dimensions showed no significant difference among those series, and gelatin contents in the precipitates were negligible when compared with the supplied amounts. These results suggest that gelatin may inhibit the crystal growth of fluoridated apatites only as a surrounding factor, overcoming the promoting action of fluoride.