Zinc phosphate is an inorganic compound with the formula Zn3(PO4)2. This white powder is widely used as a corrosion resistant coating on metal surfaces either as part of an electroplating process or applied as a primer pigment (see also red lead). It has largely displaced toxic materials based on lead or chromium, and by 2006 it had become the most commonly used corrosion inhibitor.[1][2] Zinc phosphate coats better on a crystalline structure than bare metal, so a seeding agent is often used as a pre-treatment.