Thermogravimetric Analysis of Dentin

¹ Department of Physics, Biophysics Research Laboratory, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA

Four peaks were observed in the differential primary weight loss with temperatures up to 1,000 C. The first and second peaks correspond to the loss of water and the volatilization of protein. The third peak results from the carbonate. The fourth peak, which occurs at 700 to 800 C, probably is related to the transformation of hydroxyapatite to (-tricalcium phosphate. A zero order of reaction was assumed, and the activation energies in vacuum were determined to be 10.2 and 12.5 kcal/mol for loss of water and protein, respectively.