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Tripotassium phosphate, also called tribasic potassium phosphate is a water-soluble
Tripotassium phosphate has few industrial applications, however it is commonly used as a base in laboratory-scale organic chemistry. Being insoluble in organic solvents, it is an easily removed proton acceptor in
salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
with the chemical formula K3PO4.(H2O)x (x = 0, 3, 7, 9). Tripotassium phosphate is basic: a 1% aqueous solution has a pH of 11.8.
Production
Tripotassium phosphate is produced by the neutralization of phosphoric acid withpotassium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash.
Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which utili ...
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Use in organic chemistry
Tripotassium phosphate has few industrial applications, however it is commonly used as a base in laboratory-scale organic chemistry. Being insoluble in organic solvents, it is an easily removed proton acceptor in organic synthesis
Organic synthesis is a branch of chemical synthesis concerned with the construction of organic compounds. Organic compounds are molecules consisting of combinations of covalently-linked hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen atoms. Within the gen ...
. The anhydrous salt is especially basic. Some of the reactions are listed below:
# The hydrate () has been used to catalyze the deprotection of BOC amines. Microwave radiation is used to aid the reaction.
# As a catalyst for the synthesis of unsymmetrical diaryl ethers using mimF4 as the solvent. Aryl methane-sulfonates are deprotected and then followed by a nucleophilic aromatic substitution
A nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) is a substitution reaction in organic chemistry in which the nucleophile displaces a good leaving group, such as a halide, on an aromatic ring. Aromatic rings are usually nucleophilic, but some aromatic c ...
(SNAr) with activated aryl halides.
# As a base in the cross-coupling reaction of aryl halides with terminal alkynes. It also plays a role in the deacetonation of 4-aryl-2-methylbut-3-yn-2-ol intermediates.
# As the base in the cross-coupling reaction between aryl halides and phenols or aliphatic alcohols.
Use in foods
Tripotassium phosphate can be used in foods as abuffering agent
A buffer solution is a solution where the pH does not change significantly on dilution or if an acid or base is added at constant temperature. Its pH changes very little when a small amount of strong acid or base is added to it. Buffer solution ...
, emulsifying agent
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible (unmixable or unblendable) owing to liquid-liquid phase separation. Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Although ...
, and for nutrient fortification. It can serve as a sodium-free substitute for trisodium phosphate
Trisodium phosphate (TSP) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a white, granular or crystalline solid, highly soluble in water, producing an alkaline solution. TSP is used as a cleaning agent, builder, lubricant, food addi ...
. The ingredient is most common in dry cereals but is also found in meat, sauces, and cheeses.
References
{{Phosphates Potassium compounds Phosphates Food emulsifiers E-number additives Inorganic fertilizers Deliquescent materials