Phosphoric Acid is a colorless, odorless phosphorus-containing inorganic acid. Phosphoric acid is a sequestering agent which binds many divalent cations, including Fe++, Cu++, Ca++, and Mg++. Phosphoric acid is used in dentistry and orthodontics as an etching solution, to clean and roughen the surfaces of teeth where dental appliances or fillings will be placed. In addition, phosphoric acid is a constituent in bone and teeth, and plays a role in many metabolic processes.
Physical & Chemical Properties
Molecular FormulaH3O4P
Density:1.9g/cm³g/cm³
Boiling Point:
Solubility:Miscible with water and miscible with many organic solvents such as ethanol.
Molecular Weight:98.0g/mol
Flash Point:
Melting Point:
Uses
It is industrially obtained by treating apatite with sulfuric acid. Phosphoric acid is prone to deliquescence in air. It loses water upon heating to form pyrophosphoric acid, and further dehydration yields metaphosphoric acid.
Phosphoric acid is mainly used in the pharmaceutical, food, fertilizer and other industries, including serving as a rust inhibitor, food additive, in dentistry and orthopedics, etchant for EDIC, electrolyte, soldering flux, dispersant, industrial etchant, raw material for fertilizers, and a component in household cleaning products. It can also be used as a chemical reagent. Phosphates are nutrients for all life forms.
Safety, Security & Risk
It is a moderately strong acid.It reacts violently with alkalis.Under the action of azo compounds and epoxides, it undergoes vigorous polymerization.Toxic fumes of phosphorus oxides are formed upon combustion.Contact with alcohols, aldehydes, cyanides, ketones, phenols, esters, sulfides or halogenated organic compounds may cause decomposition and produce toxic fumes.It attacks many metals, generating flammable and explosive hydrogen gas.