• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.133-146
• /
• 2021

Aragonite is one of common polymorphs of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) and formed via biological or physical processes through precipitation in many different environments including marine ecosystems. It is noted that aragonite formation and growth as well as the substitution of trace elements such as strontium (Sr) in the aragonite structure would be dependant on several key parameters such as concentrations of chemical species and temperature. In this study, properties of the incorporation of Sr into aragonite were investigated over a wide range of various saturation conditions and temperatures similar to the marine ecosystem. All pure aragonite samples were inorganically synthesized through a constant-addition method with varying concentrations of the reactive species ([Ca]=[CO₃] 0.01-1 M), injection rates of the reaction solution (0.085-17 mL/min), and solution temperatures (5-40 ℃). Pure aragonite was also formed even under the Sr incorporation conditions (0.02-0.5 M, 15-40 ℃). When temperature and saturation index (SI) with respect to aragonite increased, the crystallinity and the crystal size of aragonite increased indicating the growth of aragonite crystal. However, it was difficult to interpret the crystal growth rate because the crystal growth rate calculated using BET-specific surface area was significantly influenced by the crystal morphology. The distribution coefficient of Sr (K_Sr) into aragonite decreased from 2.37 to 1.57 with increasing concentrations of species (Ca²⁺ and CO₃^2-) at a range of 0.02-0.5 M. Similarly, it was also found that K_Sr decreased 1.90 to 1.54 at a range of 15-40 ℃. All K_Sr values are greater than 1, and the inverse correlation between the K_Sr and the crystal growth rate indicate that Sr incorporation into aragonite is in a compatible relationship.