Magnetite shell development

Biomineralization is the most glaring example of the misnomer of bioinorganic chemistry. It encompasses the formation of largely inorganic minerals by the processes of life. Examples of biomineralization are the formation of calcium phosphate to create bones for structure, calcium carbonate as protective shells, iron oxide to store iron in animal cells, and the formation of magnetite as orientational materials in magnetobacterial cells (Table III). All of these examples demonstrate the precise control of mineral size, structure, shape, orientation, and organization that chemists strive for in the development of novel methods for material syntheses. 

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