Inorganic carbonates chemical composition

The Murchison meteorite shown in Figure 6.7, like all meteorites, is named after the place from which it was recovered and in this case it is the town of Murchison, Victoria in Australia about 100 km north of Melbourne. The fall occurred in 1969 and was followed by an analysis of the chemical composition in some considerable detail. The Murchison meteorite is a carbonaceous chondrite containing about 2 per cent carbon, some as inorganic carbonates, and some as soluble compounds such as amino acids but the bulk as a macromolecular heterogeneous material referred to as kerogen. 

Composites made with carbon nanostructures have demonstrated their high performance as biomaterials, basically applied in the field of tissue regeneration with excellent results. For example, P.R. Supronowicz et al. demonstrated that nanocomposites fabricated with polylactic acid and CNTs can be used to expose cells to electrical stimulation, thus promoting osteoblast functions that are responsible for the chemical composition of the organic and inorganic phases of bone [277]. MacDonald et al. prepared composites containing a collagen matrix CNTs and found that CNTs do not affect the cell viability or cell proliferation [278]. 

Chemical Composition. With few exceptions, inorganic pigments are oxides, sulfides, oxide hydroxides, silicates, sulfates, or carbonates (see Tables 3 and 4), and normally consist of single-component particles (e.g., red iron oxide, a-Fe203) with well defined crystal structures. However, mixed and substrate pigments consist of nonuniform or multicomponent particles. 

Atmospheric particles in the troposphere are composed of a complex mixture of highly water-soluble inorganic salts, insoluble mineral dust, and carbonaceous material (which includes organic compounds plus elemental carbon) (Jacobson et al., 2000). Studies in which the chemical composition has been determined as a function of particle size demonstrate a correlation between the chemical composition and the size mode of atmospheric aerosols (Meszaros et al., 1997 Krivacsy and Molnar, 1998 Alves et al.,2000 Maenhaut et al.,2002 Smolik et al., 2003 Samara andVoutsa, 2005). 

A most remarkable result in the chemical study of ancient morphologies is the complex chemical composition, comprizing carbonaceous materials and different inorganic materials such as carbonates, iron sulphides and iron oxides. It can be shown that most of the inorganic constituents are biominerals produced directly or indirectly by the life activity of the involved organisms. So also these products are chemical fossils and, therefore, merit adequate consideration in our analyses. 

Figure 5.14. Chemical compositions of 106 samples of inorganic orthorhombic carbonate minerals. (After Speer, 1983.)...

The main components of marine sediments are inorganic aluminosilicate minerals which are usually accumulated on the sea floor by river and other geological activities, and also skeletons and shells of marine organisms (mainly calcium carbonate and silica) [2]. Of course, some metal salts or particulates which precipitate from seawater form new minerals, e.g. manganese nodules [2]. The chemical compositions of the three principal types of sediments in the ocean are shown in Table 12 [105], Most of the sediments found in the deep-sea floor are mixtures of these three principal minerals. Study of the sediments in the oceans and seashores can provide important data related to geochemical, oceanographical or biological circulation and deposition of elements, formation and distribution of marine sediments, and exploitation of marine resources. 

Minerals are solid, inorganic compounds found in nature. They have distinct crystalline structures and chemical compositions. Minerals of various elements are found in the lithosphere mainly as oxides, carbonates, and sulfides. 

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