FT-IR chemical imaging of biomineralized tissues using a mercury-cadmium-telluride focal-plane array detector

A 64/spl times/64 mercury-cadmium-telluride (MCT) focal-plane array detector attached to an FT-IR microscope was used to spectroscopically image 5-/spl mu/m slices of human bone tissue in the fingerprint region of the infrared spectrum. The protein, carbonate, and phosphate concentrations change as function of distance from an osteon. Changes in the phosphate IR band shapes also occur, suggesting a spatial dependence to the biomineralization process.