Inorganic sulphate is required by all mammalian cells to function properly, it is the fourth most abundant anion in the human plasma. Sulphate ions are the major source of sulphur which is considered an important element for sustenance of life as it is present in the essential amino and is required by cells to function properly. In this study we have successfully, substituted sulphate ions (SO42-) into hydroxyapatite (Ca-10(PO4)(6 - x)(SO4)(5)(OH)(2 - x)) lattice via ion exchange process with phosphate group. Concentration of SO42- ions was varied between X = 0.05-0.5, using (Ca (NO3)(2)center dot 4H(2)O), ((NH4)(2)HPO4) and (Na2SO4) as starting materials. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR), showed that the substitution of SO42- ions into the lattice resulted in peak broadening and reduced peak height due to the amorphous nature and reduced crystallinity of the resulting HA powder. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field emission electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis confirmed the formation of needle shaped particles of 41 nm size with homogenous and uniform distribution of element within the HA structure. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.