Chemical and Structural Information from the Enamel of a Troodon Tooth Leading to an Understanding of Diet and Environment

Synchrotron micro X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy with two-dimensional element mapping, micro X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to investigate the chemical and structural nature of the enamel of a tooth from Troodon,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied spectroscopy 2016-11, Vol.70 (11), p.1883-1890
Main Authors: Feng, Renfei, Maley, Jason M., Schatte, Gabriele, Hoffmeyer, Ruth E., Brink, Kirstin S., Ellis, Thomas, Brinkman, Don, Sammynaiken, Ramaswami
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Atomic force microscopy
Biological Evolution
Crystallites
Dental Enamel - chemistry
Dental Enamel - physiology
Diet
Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs - anatomy & histology
Dinosaurs - physiology
Electron paramagnetic resonance
Enamels
Environment
Fossils
Microscopy, Atomic Force
Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission
Spectroscopy
Teeth
X-Ray Diffraction
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Summary:Synchrotron micro X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy with two-dimensional element mapping, micro X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to investigate the chemical and structural nature of the enamel of a tooth from Troodon, a small theropod dinosaur. These methods show that the crystallites in the Troodon tooth are submicron-sized carbonated calcium hydroxyapatite, which are semi-randomly oriented with a preferred orientation of (002) towards the surface of the tooth. Transition metal ions are distributed in the voids between crystallite clusters. Comparison of the ESR spectra indicates that the Troodon tooth had less exposure to UV than a fossilized crocodile tooth.
ISSN:0003-7028
1943-3530
DOI:10.1177/0003702816653123