Cleavage of Calcitic CaCO3 during Dissolution in Aqueous Solution

Calcite cleavage was observed using a device to accelerate the formation and dissolution of calcitic CaCO3 by acidification in aqueous solutions. Scanning electron microscopy showed that crystals formed within 1 day and dissolution began at 3 days of aging. In the X-ray diffraction pattern, calcite was predominantly formed but an amorphous phase did not exist, even after 12 days of aging. In the diffraction pattern and lattice images obtained using a series of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analyses, cleavages mainly occurred in the {10 (1) over bar1} plane and some cleavages were observed through the {10 (1) over bar4} plane.