Template-directed synthesis of aragonite under supramolecular hydrogen-bonded Langmuir monolayers

The design of supramolecular templates to direct the synthesis of organized inorganic materials is illustrated for aragonite (CaCO3), which is metastable under ambient conditions but found in gall-stones, fish otoliths, etc. Spreading of the template 5-hexadecyloxyisophthalic acid at the air/water interface is shown to result in the specific nucleation of aragonite from supersaturated calcium bicarbonate solution without additives.