Phosphate

A phosphate is a salt of phosphoric acid. Phosphates are important in biochemistry. Phosphates have the formula PO₄^3- and a molar mass of 94.973 g/mol. An example of a phosphate is sodium phosphate. Three different types of phosphates are known. They are orthophosphate, PO₄^3-; metaphosphate, PO₃^2-; and pyrophosphate, P₂O₇^3-. They have a combining power of 3.

The phosphate functional group

Phosphate

Aromatic ball and stick model of phosphate Space-filling model of phosphate
Names
Systematic IUPAC name Phosphate[1]
Identifiers
CAS Number	14265-44-2 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image Interactive image Interactive image Interactive image
Beilstein Reference	3903772
ChEBI	CHEBI:18367 Y
ChemSpider	1032 Y
Gmelin Reference	1997
MeSH	Phosphates
PubChem CID	1061
UNII	NK08V8K8HR Y
SMILES [O-]P([O-])([O-])=O [O-]P(=O)([O-])[O-] O=P([O-])([O-])[O-] [O-][P+]([O-])([O-])[O-]
Properties
Chemical formula	PO3− 4
Molar mass	94.9714 g mol−1
Conjugate acid	Hydrogen phosphate
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Infobox references

Structure

Phosphates are made of one phosphorus atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms. Many phosphates do not dissolve in water.