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Glite Dictionary
polyphosphate

polyphosphate

8.0
A chemical used in water treatment and detergents to prevent scale
  • noun
  • /ˌpɒliˈfɒsfeɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : polifosfato
  • In detergents, polyphosphate serves to soften water and enhance cleaning efficiency.

It's got stabilizers, polyphosphates, glycerol esters.

Examples

  • Lake Villa officials announced that they will use polyphosphate to prevent discoloration of the water caused by chlorine.

  • These products range from linear chain polyphosphates to orthophosphates and design blends.

    Academic text (1998)

  • It's got stabilizers, polyphosphates, glycerol esters.

    The Diary Of A CEO

  • To improve water quality, the treatment plant adds polyphosphate to reduce rust and corrosion in the pipes.

Surface Forms

polyphosphate singular
polyphosphates plural

Morphology

polyphosphate = phosphate (semi-transparent) = poly + phosphate

The word is built regularly from the combining form poly- and phosphate, but the term is technical and may not be fully inferable for an average learner.

Etymology

The word polyphosphate combines poly- meaning 'many', as in polygon or polyglot, and phosphate, a common chemical group or salt that contains the element phosphorus and shows up in fertilizers and living cells. So polyphosphate means 'many phosphate units', which explains why it appears as chains of phosphate used in water treatment, detergents, and biological processes.