Analysis of paramagnetic centers in X-ray-irradiated enamel, bone, and carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite by electron spin resonance spectroscopy

Abstract

Carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite, enamel, and bone were irradiated by an X-ray and investigated between 77° and 350°K by means of electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. The ESR spectrum of enamel irradiated at 77°K in vacuum and observed at the same temperature was almost the same as that of the carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite. The temperature dependence of signal intensities confirms a spin-energy exchange between the mineral and organic constituents in bone, but in enamel no or very little spinenergy exchange between the mineral and organic constituents. Considerable similarity among the ESR spectra of enamel, bone, and carbonate-containing apatite was obtained after X-ray irradiation in air at 300°K with both an X-band and a Q-band ESR spectrometer. The Q-band spectrum can be interpreted in terms of two paramagnetic species. One is identified as a CO ₃ ³⁻ anion radical which has an axial symmetry withg factors of 2.0029 and 1.9972. The other species is found to be centered atg=2.0019.