Topic summary
Phosphonic acids
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Phosphonate.
In organic chemistry, phosphonates or phosphonic acids are organophosphorus compounds containing C−PO(OR)2groups, where R is an organic group (alkyl, aryl). If R is hydrogen then the compound is a dialkyl phosphite, which is a different functional group. Phosphonic acids, typically handled as salts, are generally nonvolatile solids that are poorly soluble in organic solvents, but soluble in water and common alcohols.