Abstract: Several calcium orthophosphates (tricalcium phosphate, monocalcium dihydropho-sphate, dicalcium hydrophosphate, and hydroxyapatite) are characterized by XPS and IR method. The P2p electron binding energies follow the order Ca(H_2PO_4)_2>CaHPO_4>Ca_(10)(OH)_2(PO_4)_6>Ca_3(PO_4)_2. It is expounded that there is hydrogen bonding of (OH...OPO_3) between the OH~- ion and the neighbour oxygen of the phosphate in hydroxyapatite.