Bone decalcification is the softening of bones due to the removal of calcium ions, and can be performed as a histological technique to study bones and extract DNA. This process also occurs naturally during bone development and growth, and when uninhibited, can cause diseases such as osteomalacia.

What does decalcified bone look like?

Decalcified compact bone looks completely different than compact bone that still has calcium salts in its matrix. The arrangement of cells and matrix is not as obvious, and it is stained with the same blue and pink that you have seen in most of the other images.

Is decalcified bone the same as spongy bone?

The hard, dense bone made of haversian systems that forms the surface layer of all bones and the shafts of long bones, in contrast to spongy bone that forms the bulk of the short, flat, and irregular bones and the ends of long bones.