Interactions of various skeletal intracrystalline components with calcite crystals

The calcitic skeletal elements of many organisms contain small amounts of proteins and glycoproteins which are incorporated within single crystals of calcite. Extraction and partial purification of the intracrystalline macromolecules allowed the identification of their interactions with synthetic calcite crystals. Specific interactions were inferred from induced morphological modifications associated with the development of new faces on calcite crystals grown in the presence of these macromolecules in solution