What is the difference between Phosphorus and Phosphate? - ProProfs Discuss
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What is the difference between Phosphorus and Phosphate?

Asked by E. Reyes, Last updated: Apr 06, 2024

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2 Answers

youness

youness

Building buildings and building intelligence

youness
Youness , Builder, B. Tech, Bern

Answered Nov 03, 2020

Phosphorus and phosphate may sometimes be mistaken to be the same but they are different from each other. Phosphorus is the element that is listed on the periodic table. This has an atomic number of 15. Phosphate, on the other hand, is one variety of phosphorus that has already been mixed with other elements. This is a type of ion that is also considered to be an inorganic chemical. This can be used to create different types of salt. You may use phosphorus when you need to make flares. This is also the type of element that you can find on the side of matchboxes. Phosphate can be used to produce other types of chemicals.
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Jasmijn

Jasmijn

Jasmijn
Jasmijn , Musician, MA, Zwolle

Answered Apr 13, 2020

Some people may mistakenly think that phosphorus and phosphate are the same, but these are two completely different things. Phosphorus is one of the elements that can be found in the periodic table, while phosphate comes from phosphorus, but this is considered to be an anion. This is composed of not only phosphorus but also oxygen. Another difference between the two is the type of atoms that can be found when they are checked. Phosphorus will only be composed of phosphorous atoms, while phosphate will come with phosphorus and oxygen atoms. The molar mass of phosphorus is at 30 g/mol, while phosphate will be heavier at 95 g/mol.
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