calcium phosphate

American  

noun

1. any of several phosphates of calcium occurring naturally in some rocks and in animal bones, used as a fertilizer and food additive as well as in baking powder and dentifrices.

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calcium phosphate British  

noun

1. the insoluble nonacid calcium salt of orthophosphoric acid (phosphoric(V) acid): it occurs in bones and is the main constituent of bone ash. Formula: Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2

2. any calcium salt of a phosphoric acid. Calcium phosphates are found in many rocks and used esp in fertilizers

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calcium phosphate Scientific  

1. Any of three powdery phosphates of calcium:

2. A colorless powder used in baking powders, as a plant food, as a plastic stabilizer, and in glass. Calcium phosphate is deliquescent, and will dissolve in the water it absorbs from the atmosphere if it is not kept in a closed container. Chemical formula: Ca(H ₂ PO ₄ ) ₂ .

3. A white crystalline powder used as an animal food, as a plastic stabilizer, and in glass and toothpaste. Chemical formula: CaHPO ₄ .

4. A white powder that is used in ceramics, rubber, fertilizers, and for various purposes in the food industry. Chemical formula: Ca ₃ (PO ₄ ) ₂ .

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Etymology

Origin of calcium phosphate

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

In food, calcium phosphate is used as a whitening agent.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025

Last week, the FDA approved three natural color additives — calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue and butterfly pea flower extract — to replace them.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025

Moreover, Ctdnep1 knockdown also led to increased absorption of calcium phosphate, suggestive of the suppressive role of Ctdnep1 in bone resorption.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2024

The results, recently published in Paleontology, show that within 24 hours every organ’s acidity reached the right range for calcium phosphate to crystallize, with these conditions lasting up to five days.

From Scientific American • Nov. 24, 2022

Bilious people have too little sodium sulfate, the melancholics are lacking in potassium sulfate and phosphate; too little calcium phosphate in the phlegmatics.

From History of Phosphorus by Farber, Eduard