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The purpose of this study was to use the concept of metastable equilibrium solubility (MES) to describe the anomalous solubility behavior of carbonated apatite (CAP) in the presence of solution strontium. A CAP sample (4.8 wt% CO(3), synthesized at 70 degrees C) was prepared by precipitation. Baseline MES distributions were determined in a series of 0.1 M acetate buffers containing only calcium and phosphate (no strontium) over a broad range of solution conditions. In order to assess the influence of strontium, MES profiles were then determined in a similar fashion with 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80% of the solution calcium being replaced on an equal molar basis by solution strontium. From the compositions of the equilibrating buffer solutions, ion activity products (IAPs) of the form Ca(10-n)Sr(n)(PO(4))(6)(OH)(2) (n = 0-10) were calculated in an attempt to determine the correct function governing the dissolution of the CAP preparation. The results demonstrate the following important findings: (a) at high solution strontium/calcium ratios (i.e., when 60% or more of the solution calcium was replaced by strontium), the MES profiles in all the experiments were found to be essentially superimposable when the solution IAPs were calculated using the stoichiometry of Ca(6)Sr(4)(PO(4))(6)(OH)(2), and (b), at low solution strontium/calcium ratios (i.e., when 40% or less of the solution calcium was replaced by strontium), the stoichiometry yielding MES data superpositioning was found to be that of hydroxyapatite. When other stoichiometries were assumed, good superpositioning of the data was not possible.

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