About Phosphates

Phosphates are salts or esters of phosphoric acid. There are several different phosphate anions that differ in number of phosphorus atoms, and compounds classified based on the anion they contain. These compounds include orthophosphates (PO4-3), pyrophosphates (P2O7-4), tripolyphosphates (P3O10-5), and polyphosphates (PnO(3n+1)-(n+2)). Naturally occurring phosphate-containing minerals are abundant on earth, and phosphate salts are produced from globally mined ores.

Inorganic phosphate compounds such as tricalcium phosphate and sodium tripolyphosphate have numerous industrial applications including buffering, absorption, sequestering, and are typically added to detergents, dietary supplements, toothpaste and other consumer products, and water treatment chemicals.