Calcium carbonate is an abundant substance that can be created in several mineral forms by the reaction of dissolved carbon dioxide in water with calcium ions. Through biomineralization, organisms can harness and control this process to form various functional materials that can act as anything from shells through to lenses. The early stages of calcium carbonate formation have recently attracted attention as stable prenucleation clusters have been observed, contrary to classical models. Here we show, using computer simulations combined with the analysis of experimental data, that these mineral clusters are made of an ionic polymer, composed of alternating calcium and carbonate ions, with a dynamic topology consisting of chains, branches and rings. The existence of a disordered, flexible and strongly hydrated precursor provides a basis for explaining the formation of other liquid-like amorphous states of calcium carbonate, in addition to the non-classical behaviour during growth of amorphous calcium carbonate.

Making Crystals: The initial transition from a disordered solution to the formation of nuclei that grow into crystals continues to be a puzzle. Recent experiments suggested the formation of stable ordered clusters that appear prior to the formation of the first nuclei. Wallace et al. (p. 885 ; see the Perspective by Myerson and Trout ) used molecular dynamics to look at the potential structure and dynamics of these clusters and lattice gas simulations to explore the population dynamics of the cluster populations prior to nucleation. A liquid-liquid phase separation process was observed whereby one phase becomes more concentrated in ions and becomes the precursor for nuclei to form.