Reaction pathways toward the formation of dolomite

Little is known about the physico-chemical processes that lead to the formation of dolomite in nature. Issues requiring further investigation include: (1) the role played by amorphous carbonate precursors, (2) the mechanisms of transformation of such precursors into proto-dolomite and dolomite, and (3) the controlling factors of the kinetics of the reactions that eventually result in the crystallization of highly ordered dolomite. In the article by Rodriguez-Blanco et al. in this issue entitled “A route for the direct crystallization of dolomite,” the authors present experimental evidence of a threestage process that, starting from the precipitation of an amorphous magnesium calcium carbonate, produces proto-dolomite via spherulitic growth, and subsequently ordered dolomite. This article provides new insights into reaction pathways toward the formation of dolomite.