Digitalfire Ceramic Materials Database

Apatite

Calcium Phosphate

Formula: Ca5(PO₄)3(OH, F, Cl)

Chemistry %

CaO	55.60
P2O5	42.20

Volatiles %

LOI

2.20

DENS - Density (Specific Gravity)	2.9-3.2
HMOH - Hardness (Moh)	5.0
MLPT - Melting Point (MP)	1300C D

Richard Willis

Popular bone-ash substitute. Melts only superficially, with core hard and granular, so fuses with a difference, with very strong opacifying attributes. An interesting calcium phosphate to use where either calciums or phosphates are called for in glaze formulas, such as those calling for bone ash — owing to the molecular similarity — re- Ca₃(PO₄)₂ in contrast to Ca₅[(F, OH)(PO
₄)₃]. At temperatures below 1200ºC, apatite is a good substitute for bone ash, as, owing to its contribution of fluorine, it is a stronger flux.

Out Bound Links

(Typecodes - Unspecified) 1: GNM - Generic Material
(URLs) Apatite at Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apatite

In Bound Links

(Oxides - Material source) P2O5 - Phosphorus Pentoxide

Pictures
Calcite W Apatite

Apatite Crystals

Apatite In Calcite

Fluorite Apatite

Fluorapatite On Apatite

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