Definition of "polyphosphate" []

• Any of a class of inorganic polymers containing linked phosphate groups; the low molecular weight polymers, such as sodium tripolyphosphate, are used in water softening and as food additives (noun)

Wiktionary.org : Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

• "But even if the Martians originated independently, they would presumably be carbon- and water-based, would use organic molecules made of chains of CHOPNS atoms, and would probably use many simple molecules that our microbes eat – polyphosphate, sugars, lipids, etc. ts"
• "Shrimpers often treat them with a bleaching solution of bisulfite to prevent discoloration, and like scallops, with a sodium polyphosphate solution to keep them moist; these practices can cause off-flavors."
• "Since 1991, he switched his research focus from DNA replication to inorganic polyphosphate (poly P), a polymer of phosphates that likely participated in prebiotic evolution and is now found in every bacterial, plant and animal cell."