Polyphosphates

Definition

Chains of phosphate units used for sequestration and early stage scale inhibition in potable and light industrial systems.

By forming soluble complexes with hardness ions they reduce the effective calcium available for lattice formation and interfere with very early crystal development. They are chemically fragile and hydrolyze into orthophosphate under high temperature or stress, losing sequestering ability and sometimes contributing directly to scale. Their use is generally confined to low temperature, low stress applications.

Related concepts

Threshold Inhibition · Calcium Phosphate Scale · Phosphonates

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🧪 chemistry