trisodium phosphate
- noun
- /traɪˈsoʊdiəm ˈfɔsfeɪt/
- Specialized
:
fosfato trisódico
- Many industrial cleaners contain trisodium phosphate to improve their effectiveness against grease.
Examples
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Chemists often use trisodium phosphate as a buffering agent in laboratory preparations.
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The label warns that trisodium phosphate should be handled with care due to its strong cleaning properties.
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I bought some trisodium phosphate for my cleaning supplies.
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The trisodium phosphate helped remove tough stains.
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To clean the greasy kitchen surfaces, I used trisodium phosphate diluted in warm water.
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Many painters recommend adding trisodium phosphate to the cleaning solution for a more effective stain removal.
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Mix trisodium phosphate with water to create a powerful cleaner for removing mold and mildew.
Synonyms
1
3.7
A white salt used as a laxative and in cleaners, food processing, and water treatment
A white chemical salt that softens water and helps remove dirt in detergents
A chemical used in soaps and cleaning products to help them clean
Surface Forms
Morphology
The term denotes a phosphate salt containing three sodium atoms; its meaning is directly derivable from 'trisodium' (three sodium atoms) + 'phosphate' (a salt/ester of phosphoric acid). Although technical, it follows regular chemical naming conventions that are cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the compound's nature.
Etymology
Trisodium phosphate is named for its parts: tri- means 'three', sodium is a common metal, and phosphate is the phosphate part, so the name tells you it has three sodium atoms joined to a phosphate. That's why trisodium phosphate is used as a strong 'cleaner' in soaps and industrial detergents.