A
phosphate, an
inorganic chemical, is a
salt of
phosphoric acid. In
organic chemistry, a phosphate, or
organophosphate, is an
ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in
biochemistry and
biogeochemistry or
ecology. Inorganic phosphates are
mined to obtain
phosphorus for use in agriculture and industry. At elevated temperatures in the solid state, phosphates can
condense to form
pyrophosphates.