A phosphate is an ester or salt of phosphoric acid.
The term phosphate belongs to the field of chemistry . This is what an ester or salt of phosphoric acid is called.
As you can see, several concepts must be clear to understand what a phosphate is . We can start with phosphoric acid : it is a solid that is composed of hydrogen , oxygen and phosphorus , generally used to produce soaps and fertilizers.
Esters and salts
We said that phosphate can be an ester or a salt of phosphoric acid. The organic compound obtained by replacing, in an acid, a hydrogen atom with an alcoholic radical is called an ester .
The meaning of salt that interests us in this case, meanwhile, refers to the compound that results from replacing the hydrogen atoms present in an acid with basic radicals.
To complete the tour of the meaning of phosphate, then, we need to focus on the idea of acid , since esters and salts come from them. Acids are substances that increase the concentration of hydrogen ions when they are in solution; When combined with a base , they promote the formation of salts.
Characteristics of a phosphate
A phosphate has four oxygen atoms that, in a tetrahedral arrangement, surround a phosphorus atom . It is possible to differentiate between organic phosphate and inorganic phosphate .
Organic phosphates have highly complex molecules and usually have a high level of toxicity. Inorganic phosphates , on the other hand, are found in the organism of living beings, being among the constituents of lipids that form membranes and the nucleotides that make up nucleic acids (such as deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA ).
It should be noted that these are not the only classifications of phosphates. Depending on their properties, one can also speak of triphosphates or orthophosphates , for example .
Phosphate helps to have strong teeth.
Its importance in the human body
Human teeth and bones have phosphates among their components. Acting in conjunction with calcium, they make teeth and bones strong.
If the level of phosphate in the blood is not adequate, it may be a sign of kidney disease or another type of disorder. Suffering from frequent cramps or fatigue can be symptoms of a disorder linked to a lack or excess of phosphates.
To measure this phosphate level, a blood sample is drawn and analyzed in a laboratory . A low amount may be linked to malnutrition, lack of vitamin D, or hyperparathyroidism, while a high amount may be associated with diabetic ketoacidosis, kidney disease, or hypoparathyroidism, to name a few possibilities.
Phosphate level can also be measured in urine . Of course, a doctor must be the one to order these tests and be in charge of examining the results to determine the next steps.
Phosphates in agriculture
In the field of agriculture , phosphates are among the most used fertilizers . World production, in fact, depends largely on its use.
Beyond the usefulness of these substances, the indiscriminate use of phosphates in agricultural practices carries risks. When rain carries phosphates into rivers, nutrients in the aquatic ecosystem grow and algae proliferate. When the algae die, the microbes multiply, absorbing oxygen from the water , causing the death of fauna and flora in general.