The Use of Polarized FT-IR Microscopic Spectrometry to Detect an Orientated Arrangement of Calcium Carbonate Crystals in the Hinge-Ligament of the Surf Clam

Recent advances in the instrumentation and methodology of IR spectrometry have facilitated the development of polarized FT-IR microscopic spectrometry. This novel analytical technique can provide the structural information that otherwise would have been available only from other analytical principles. In the present study, we have applied polarized FT-IR microscopic spectrometry in order to detect the orientated arrangement of calcium carbonate crystals in the protein matrix of the bivalve hinge-ligament of the surf clam.