Contact angles of water droplets on well-formed crystals of strontium and barium chlorapatites, Sr5Cl(PO4)(3) and Ba5Cl(PO4)(3), were observed. The contact angles of water on (10 (1) over bar0) and (10 (1) over bar1) faces of Sr5Cl(PO4)(3) were 74 +/- 8degrees and 53 +/- 5degrees and those on (10 (1) over bar0) and (10 (1) over bar1) faces of Ba5Cl(PO4)(3) were 52 +/- 5degrees and 33 V, respectively. The surface tensions of the crystals were calculated using Neumann's equation. They were 39.2 +/- 50 and 52.0 +/- 3.0 mJ m(-2) for (10 (1) over bar0) and (10 (1) over bar1) faces of Sr5Cl(PO4)(3), 52.5 +/- 2.9 and 63.0 +/- 0.5 mJ m(-2) for (10 (1) over bar0) and (10 (1) over bar1) faces of Ba5Cl(PO4)(3), respectively. The (10 (1) over bar1) face has larger surface tension than (10 (1) over bar0) face for both crystals. The chlorapatite crystals have tendency to elongate in <0 0 0 1> directions during the crystal growth process, indicating that (10 (1) over bar0) face is more stable than (10 (1) over bar1) face. This nature of crystal morphology is consistent with the surface tensions estimated from the water contact angles. The higher density of Ba5Cl(PO4)(3) than Sr5Cl(PO4)(3) is considered to cause the smaller contact angles of water droplet on Ba5Cl(PO4)(3) crystal than that on Sr5Cl(PO4)(3) crystal because the attractive force between the heavier atoms brings the larger surface tension of solid. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.