Synthetic and natural chlorine-bearing apatite

Hydrothermal syntheses of chlor-hydroxyapatite have been carried out between 300 and 700° C at a constant pressure of 1000 bar. The substitution of OH for Cl varies as a function of the amount of added CaCl₂, temperature, and pH. In the main reaction the incorporation of Cl is negligible at 300° C but increases to over 40 mole percent Cl-apatite at 700° C. A simple X-ray method for determining the Cl/Cl+OH ratio has been developed and this is also extended to fluorine-bearing chlor-hydroxyapatites. A number of natural chlor-fluorhydroxyapatites are discussed in the light of the X-ray method and the result of the synthesis.