Conchiolin (sometimes referred to as conchin) and perlucin are complex proteins which are secreted by a mollusc's outer epithelium (the mantle). Proteins are large Organic compounds made of Amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by Peptide bonds between the Carboxyl Molluscs are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 250000 extant Species within the phylum with an estimated 70000 In biology and medicine epithelium is a tissue composed of cells that line the cavities and surfaces of structures throughout the body The mantle is an important part of the anatomy of Molluscs It is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass These proteins are part of a matrix of organic macromolecules, mainly proteins and polysaccharides, that assembled together form the microenvironment where crystals nucleate and grow. This organic matrix also holds and binds to the crystals of aragonite which give such shells their stiffness. Aragonite is a Carbonate mineral, one of the two common naturally occurring polymorphs of Calcium carbonate, Ca[[carbon C]] O 3 The ions necessary to form calcium carbonate are also secreted by the mantle, but it is the tailored environment created by the organic matrix which causes aragonite (rather than calcite) crystals to nucleate, in much the same way that collagen nucleates hydroxyapatite crystals. An ion is an Atom or Molecule which has lost or gained one or more Valence electrons giving it a positive or negative electrical charge Calcium carbonate is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula Ca[[Carbon C]] O 3 Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of Calcium carbonate ( Ca[[carbon C]] O 3 Collagen is the main Protein of Connective tissue in Animals and the most abundant protein in Mammals making up about 50% of the whole-body protein Hydroxylapatite, also called hydroxyapatite, is a Mineral. It is a naturally occurring form of calcium Apatite with the formula Ca5(PO43(OH Conchiolin serves as a relatively flexible, crack-deflecting matrix for the mineral aggregate particles; its strength and the strong bonding of perlucin give the finished material (nacre) an impressive level of toughness. In Biology, the extracellular matrix ( ECM) is the Extracellular part of animal tissue that usually provides structural support to the cells Aggregate is the component of a Composite material used to resist compressive stress Nacre, also known as mother of pearl, is an organic-inorganic Composite material produced by some Mollusks as an inner shell layer Toughness, in Materials science and Metallurgy, is the resistance to Fracture of a material when stressed.
External links
- Structure of the conchiolin cases of the prisms in Mytilus edulis, Charles Grégoire, 1960
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