The charge present on phosphate anion is

Explanation

To determine the charge present on the phosphate anion, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Chemical Formula of Phosphate**:
The chemical formula for the phosphate anion is \( \text{PO}_4^{3-} \). This indicates that the phosphate ion consists of one phosphorus atom and four oxygen atoms.

2. **Determine the Charge Contribution of Oxygen**:
Each oxygen atom typically has a charge of -2. Since there are four oxygen atoms in the phosphate ion, we can calculate the total charge contributed by the oxygen atoms:
\[ \text{Charge from Oxygen} = 4 \times (-2) = -8 \]

3. **Determine the Charge of Phosphorus**:
To balance the overall charge of the phosphate ion, we need to consider the charge of the phosphorus atom. The total charge of the phosphate ion is -3. Therefore, we can set up the equation:
\[ \text{Charge of Phosphorus} + \text{Charge from Oxygen} = \text{Total Charge} \]
Substituting the known values:
\[ \text{Charge of Phosphorus} - 8 = -3 \]

4. **Solve for the Charge of Phosphorus**:
Rearranging the equation gives:
\[ \text{Charge of Phosphorus} = -3 + 8 = +5 \]

5. **Conclusion**:
The phosphate anion \( \text{PO}_4^{3-} \) has a charge of -3.

### Final Answer:
The charge present on the phosphate anion is \( \text{PO}_4^{3-} \), which means it carries a charge of -3.

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