Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Variations in the Crystalline Form of Calcium Carbonate precipitated from Artificial Sea Water

Abstract

CALCIUM carbonate can exist in three polymorphic forms, which in the order of their usual stabilities are calcite, aragonite and vaterite. Calcite is the most stable and the least soluble, and, therefore, the form in which calcium carbonate would be expected to precipitate from sea-water. It has been pointed out, however, that when carbon dioxide was removed from natural sea-water a precipitate of aragonite formed1. Since this discovery, much work has been performed which confirms the observation, and there are a number of suggestions as to the cause of this phenomenon2.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Gee, H., Moberg, E. G., Greenberg, D. M., and Revelle, R., Bull. Scripps Inst. Oceanogr. Tech., 3, 188 (1932).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Revelle, R., and Fairbridge, R., in Treatise on Marine Ecology and Palœecology, edit. by Hedgreth, J. W., 1, 239 (1957).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Lyman, J., and Fleming, R. H., J. Mar. Res., 3, 134 (1940).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wilbur, K. M., and Watabe, N., Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 109, 82 (1963).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kitano, Y., Bull. Chem. Soc. Japan, 35, 1980 (1962).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Kitano, Y., and Hood, D. W., J. Oceanogr. Soc. Japan, 18, 141 (1962).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Kitano, Y., Park, K., and Hood, D. W., J. Geophys. Res., 67, 4873 (1962).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Wattenberg, H., Wiss Ergebn. deutsch. atlant. Exped. ‘Meteor’, 8, 122 (1933). Wattenberg, H., and Timmermann, E., Ann. Hydrogr., 23 (Berlin, 1936).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kitano, Y., Bull. Chem. Soc. Japan, 35, 1980 (1962).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Mayer, F. K., and Weineck, E., Z. Naturwiss., 66, 199 (Jena, 1932).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Wilbur, K. M., and Watabe, N., Nature, 188, 334 (1960).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

SIMKISS, K. Variations in the Crystalline Form of Calcium Carbonate precipitated from Artificial Sea Water. Nature 201, 492–493 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/201492a0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/201492a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing