Types of Sodium Phosphate
The most common sodium phosphate salts are:
Monosodium Phosphate (MSP)
Also known as sodium dihydrogen phosphate (NaH2PO4), it comes in anhydrous, monohydrate, and dihydrate forms:
- Anhydrous formula: NaH2PO4
- Monohydrate formula: NaH2PO4·H2O
- Dihydrate formula: NaH2PO4·2H2O
Disodium Phosphate (DSP)
Also known as sodium hydrogen phosphate (Na2HPO4), it comes in anhydrous, heptahydrate, octahydrate, and dodecahydrate forms:
- Anhydrous formula: Na2HPO4
- Heptahydrate formula: Na2HPO4·2H2O
- Octahydrate formula: Na2HPO4·8H2O
- Dodecahydrate formula: Na2HPO4·12H2O
Trisodium Phosphate (TSP)
Comes in anhydrous and various hydrated forms such as hemihydrate, hexahydrate, octahydrate, and dodecahydrate:
- Anhydrous formula: Na3PO4
- Hemihydrate formula: Na3PO4·0.5H2O
- Hexahydrate formula: Na3PO4·6H2O
- Octahydrate formula: Na3PO4·8H2O
- Dodecahydrate formula: Na3PO4·12H2O
Pyrophosphates (DIPs)
Examples include disodium pyrophosphate (Na2H2P2O7) and tetrasodium pyrophosphate (Na4P2O7)
Polyphosphates
Examples include sodium tripolyphosphate (Na5P3O10) and higher molecular weight polymers like Graham’s salt (sodium hexametaphosphate)
Sodium Phosphate Formula
Sodium phosphate is an inorganic compound with sodium (Na+) cation and phosphate (PO43-) anions. It is also known as Phospho soda. The molecular formula of sodium phosphate is Na3PO4. These salts can be found in both anhydrous (water-free) and hydrated forms, with hydrates being more common. Sodium phosphate is used in various applications, including food processing, water treatment, and pharmaceuticals. In this article, we will look into what Sodium Phosphate is, its structure, properties, reactions, uses, etc.