The control of the corrosion phenomenon occurring at the metal interface requires the development of new non-toxic anticorrosion additives. For this purpose, zirconium orthophosphate compounds (Zr(HPO4)(2),H2O noted alpha-ZrP) were synthesized by both hydrothermal and refluxing methods The Ca(2+-)cationic exchange in the layered structure is kinetically favoured by low crystallinity of alpha-ZrP synthesized by refluxing process, and leads to the formation of CaZr(PO4)(2),4H(2)O, noted Ca2+-ZrP. The H+/Ca2+ exchange mechanism is mainly triggered by acid-base considerations, and especially the pKa of alpha-ZrP/Ca2+-ZrP acid-base couple (evaluated to 2.5). Both compounds are acidic compounds by internal exchangeable H+ for alpha-ZrP and surface protons for Ca2+-ZrP, and can be used as potential inhibitors of zinc corrosion. Electrochemical measurements show that Ca2+-ZrP compounds dispersed in the NaCl electrolyte buffer the pH value over a long time and therefore allow controlling the corrosion rate of zinc. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.