What is the Difference Between Trisodium Orthophosphate and Sodium Phosphate

The key difference between trisodium orthophosphate and sodium phosphate is that trisodium orthophosphate is harmful to the environment, whereas sodium phosphate is comparatively environmentally friendly.

Trisodium orthophosphate and sodium phosphate are inorganic compounds consisting of phosphate atoms. Trisodium orthophosphate, commonly known as trisodium phosphate, is an ionic salt having the chemical formula Na3PO4. Sodium phosphate is an inorganic compound having the chemical formula Na_nH_mPO4.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Trisodium Orthophosphate
3. What is Sodium Phosphate
4. Similarities – Trisodium Orthophosphate and Sodium Phosphate
5. Trisodium Orthophosphate vs Sodium Phosphate in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Trisodium Orthophosphate vs Sodium Phosphate

What is Trisodium Orthophosphate?

Trisodium orthophosphate, commonly known as trisodium phosphate, is an ionic salt having the chemical formula Na3PO4. Therefore, it is an inorganic compound. It appears as white granules and is highly water-soluble. Moreover, when we dissolve this compound in water, it forms an alkaline solution. The molar mass of this compound is 163.94 g/mol. Its melting point is 1,583 °C, and it decomposes at higher temperatures.

Figure 01: The Chemical Structure of Trisodium Orthophosphate

Furthermore, this compound is useful as a cleaning agent, builder, lubricant, food additive, stain remover, and degreaser. We can produce this compound via neutralization of phosphoric acid using sodium hydroxide along with sodium carbonate. However, if we use sodium carbonate alone, it will give only the disodium phosphate.

What is Sodium Phosphate?

Sodium phosphate is an inorganic compound having the chemical formula Na_nH_mPO4. However, this term is mainly used as a generic term for a variety of salts of sodium and phosphate ions. Moreover, there can be families of sodium phosphate that can come with prefixes “di-, ““tri-, “etc. Mostly, sodium phosphate compounds occur in both anhydrous or hydrated forms. Among them, hydrated forms are common.

Figure 02: The Chemical Structure of Sodium Dihydrogen Phosphate

There are several different uses of sodium phosphates; in the food industry as emulsifiers in processed cheese, thickening agents, and leavening agents for baked products, in water treatment, preparation of some medicine, as components in detergents for softening water, and as anti-rust solutions.

This compound is mostly cheap and nontoxic. Therefore, we can find it in many household products. However, if high doses are taken orally, it can cause bowel preparation for colonoscopy, kidney injury, etc.

Similarities Between Trisodium Orthophosphate and Sodium Phosphate

1. Trisodium orthophosphate and sodium phosphate are inorganic compounds.
2. Both are phosphorous-containing compounds.
3. They are sodium salts of phosphate compounds.
4. These substances are important for cleaning purposes due to their alkaline nature when dissolved in water.
5. Both are important in the food industry as food additives.
6. They are cheap substances, which allows them to be used in different household products

Difference Between Trisodium Orthophosphate and Sodium Phosphate

Trisodium orthophosphate, commonly known as trisodium phosphate, is an ionic salt having the chemical formula Na3PO4 while Sodium phosphate is an inorganic compound having the chemical formula Na_nH_mPO4. The key difference between trisodium orthophosphate and sodium phosphate is that trisodium orthophosphate is harmful to the environment, whereas sodium phosphate is comparatively environmentally friendly.

The following table summarizes the difference between trisodium orthophosphate and sodium phosphate.

Summary – Trisodium Orthophosphate vs Sodium Phosphate

Trisodium orthophosphate and sodium phosphate are inorganic compounds containing phosphorous. The key difference between trisodium orthophosphate and sodium phosphate is that trisodium orthophosphate is harmful to the environment, whereas sodium phosphate is comparatively environmentally friendly.

Reference:

1. “Trisodium Phosphate.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Database, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
2. Whelan, Corey. “Sodium Phosphate in Food: Is It Bad for You?” Healthline, Healthline Media, 18 Sept. 2018.
3. “Sodium Phosphate (NA3PO4) – Molecular Mass, Structure, Properties and Uses.” BYJUS, 15 July 2021.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Trisodium phosphate” By Edgar181 – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Monosodium phosphate” By Edgar181 – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

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