Uses
It is used in the production of phosphoric acid and fertilizers, for example in the Odda process. Overuse of certain forms of calcium phosphate can lead to nutrient-containing surface runoff and subsequent adverse effects upon receiving waters such as algal blooms and eutrophication.
Calcium phosphate is used in baking as the acid in a leavening agent, with E number E341. It is also used in cheese products.
Tricalcium phosphate is also used as a nutritional supplement and occurs naturally in cow milk, although the most common and economical forms for supplementation are calcium carbonate (which should be taken with food) and calcium citrate (which can be taken without food). There have been limited studies on the use of Hydroxyapatite as a food supplement, as such, its usage is discouraged.
It is used in a variety of dental products for remineralization and as a diluent in some medications where it will give the tablet a grey colour in the absence of additional colouring agents.
Another practical application of the compound is its use in gene transfection of cells. It is not too well understood, but the calcium phosphate precipitate DNA and form a complex that is thought to help the DNA enter the cell.
Read more about this topic: Calcium Phosphate