Synthesis and structure of synthetically pure and deuterated amorphous (basic) calcium carbonates

Abstract

It is generally believed that H2O and OH- are the key species stabi-lizing and controlling amorphous calcium carbonate “polyamorph” forms, and may in turn control the ultimate crystallization prod-ucts during synthesis and in natural systems. Yet, the locations and hydrogen-bonding network of these species in ACC have never been measured directly using neutron diffraction. We re-port a synthesis route that overcomes existing challenges with respect to yield quantities and deuteration, both of which are critically necessary for high quality neutron studies.