What is produced when phosphate rock is treated with phosphoric acid?

When phosphate rock is treated with phosphoric acid, the product formed is triple superphosphate. This reaction occurs because phosphoric acid reacts with the calcium phosphate present in phosphate rock. The resulting product is a more concentrated source of phosphorus, which is essential for plant growth.

Triple superphosphate typically contains a higher percentage of phosphorus compared to other fertilizers, making it more effective as a nutrient for crops. The production of triple superphosphate involves the addition of phosphoric acid to ground phosphate rock, which leaches out impurities and produces a usable form of phosphorus that can be easily absorbed by plants.

In contrast, single superphosphate is made by treating phosphate rock with sulfuric acid, which leads to the formation of calcium sulfate along with some phosphoric acid, but this is not the product of treatment with phosphoric acid. Calcium sulfate, while present in the reaction of phosphate rock with sulfuric acid, is not formed when treating with phosphoric acid alone. Calcium nitrate, on the other hand, is a different compound altogether and results from the reaction of nitric acid with calcium carbonate, not phosphate rock.