A phosphate salt pairs a metal or ammonium ion with the phosphate ion, PO4 3-, derived from phosphoric acid. Because phosphoric acid has three acidic hydrogens, it can form three different salt types depending on how many of those hydrogens get replaced: monobasic, with one hydrogen replaced, dibasic, with two, and tribasic, with all three. That distinction matters a lot in practice, since monobasic and dibasic phosphates of the same metal have different pH behavior and are frequently combined in specific ratios to create buffers at a target pH, which is exactly how phosphate buffer saline and similar lab buffers are made. Most phosphates on this page are white, odorless, water soluble crystalline solids.
COMMON APPLICATIONS
Laboratory buffer preparation, where monobasic and dibasic sodium or potassium phosphate combine to hold a solution at a precise, stable pH, the basis of phosphate buffer saline and many biochemical and molecular biology protocols. Food and beverage formulation, where USP/FCC grade calcium phosphates serve as a calcium fortification source, leavening agent, and anti-caking agent. Fertilizer production, where ammonium phosphate supplies both nitrogen and phosphorus to crops. Dental and bone graft materials, where tricalcium phosphate's similarity to natural bone mineral makes it useful in some biomedical applications. Metal surface treatment, where products like zinc phosphate solutions are used in stripping and pretreatment processes. General reagent and analytical standard use, including disodium ATP as a biochemical reference compound.
GRADES EXPLAINED
Lab Grade is solid, everyday purity with no official monograph, suitable for general research and industrial use. ACS Grade meets American Chemical Society limits on impurities, the standard choice for buffer preparation and analytical methods where trace contamination would skew results. USP/FCC Grade meets pharmacopeia and food chemical standards, the one to buy for food, beverage or pharmaceutical formulation, and that's where Halal certification sits on this page.
TYPES & GRADES AT A GLANCE
WHY BUY FROM LAB ALLEY
256,000+ customers already order their chemicals and reagents from Lab Alley. 99.5% of orders ship within 1 to 2 business days, and 98.9% inventory accuracy means the grade you see in stock is the grade that ships. SDS and COA are available online for every phosphate salt, and our Dicalcium Phosphate and Tricalcium Phosphate, both USP/FCC Grade, carry Halal certification; check each product page for current certification status.
Related: See our Citrates collection, Phosphoric Acid, or browse all Salts.














