{{unreferenced, date=May 2015

A phosphoryl group is the
chemical ion or radical: P
+O
32−, containing
phosphorus and
oxygen. (The correct chemical name for this −PO
32− group is phosphonato, and phosphono for −PO
3H
2; as ''phosphoryl'' in chemical nomenclature means a trivalent > P(O)− group.) It may exist in different
protonation states.
The term is usually used to refer to compounds in which the phosphoryl group is attached to other atoms, e.g.
phosphoryl chloride, or in the description of catalytic mechanisms (see:
phosphorylation
In chemistry, phosphorylation is the attachment of a phosphate group to a molecule or an ion. This process and its inverse, dephosphorylation, are common in biology and could be driven by natural selection. Text was copied from this source, wh ...
). In biochemical reactions involving phosphates (e.g.
adenosine triphosphate), a phosphoryl group is usually transferred between the
substrates (phosphoryl transfer reactions). A phosphoryl group should not be confused with a
phosphate group.
The phosphoryl group plays the central role in
phosphorylation
In chemistry, phosphorylation is the attachment of a phosphate group to a molecule or an ion. This process and its inverse, dephosphorylation, are common in biology and could be driven by natural selection. Text was copied from this source, wh ...
.
Phosphorus compounds
Functional groups