MadSci Network: General Biology |
This is a good question. I think that there are two methods you could use that would be readily available, and they both should give close answers. I think the most accurate and easiest method is to make the assumption that the bulk of the dissolved material is enamel, e.g. a mixture of hydroxyapatite and fluoroapatite. You need to start by drying out the tooth before the experiment by heat and or dessication. Enamel is non volatile and is unaffected by heating, so this will essentially remove all of the water from the dentin. Next, you should weigh the tooth on a micro-scale or better balance. These will have accuracies to one-tenth of a milligram or better depending on what you have available. Then perform your experiment. When it is finished, you can redry the tooth and weigh it, the difference will be equal to the amount of enamel lost, more or less depending on the assumption above. This should be sufficiently accurate to give you a very close answer. Method 2 is titration. You can take a known amount of hydroxyapatide or a known amount of a ground dried tooth, dissolve it in an appropriate acid (I am guessing that either nitric, sulphuric, or HCL will work). You then titrate in a standard solution of NaOH with phenothaelin and work backwards how much CaPO4(OH) was dissolved... Titration will be more accurate and precise, however mass difference will probably suffice in this case
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