EDTA
Chelating agents have the ability to bind to the metal
atoms at multiple points. A significant amount of natural
products are classified as chelates in which a bonding of
a metal atom with a large organic molecule is present
in their chemistry. On the other hand, in laboratories
chelating agents can be synthesized as their ability
to sequester metal cations is an advantage in many
possible areas including health, food industry, and
manufacturing. EDTA, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid,
is a synthetic chelating agent known with its wide range
of usage area. EDTA forms a complex compound by
occupying the octahedral sites of the central metal
ion which makes it a hexadentate ligand. It is formed
by the condensation of ethylenediamine with sodium
monochloroacetate in the presence of Na2CO3. The
aqueous solution is heated to 90°C for approximately
10 hours and acidified by HCl after the cooling process.
The addition of formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide is
essential in all industrial manufacturing methods. By
hydrolysis the salts or edentates are formed in the final
step.
Uses Health
EDTA can be intravenously (injection) or intramuscularly
(into the muscle) used in the treatment of depleting
excess metal levels in the body by binding to the
minerals and the metal ions such as calcium, lead, iron
and magnesium which enables the removal of these
materials without any harmful effect to the metabolism.
EDTA Chelation is a heart disease treating method that
is used to dissolve unwanted minerals and metals in the
cardiovascular system. It is cheap, safe and proved to
be effective improving the metabolism of cholesterol
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and calcium due to its ability of removing oxygen free
radicals from the blood. The therapy is also a medically
accepted method to cure lead heavy metal poisoning
and related brain damage. EDTA bonds to the lead and
other metal ions in the bloodstream which forms a
compound removable from the body in the urine.
Other usage areas with insufficient evidences include
treating calcium deposits in the eye, skin irritations
caused by chromium, nickel and copper, cancer
treatment, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. On the
other hand, apart from the many advantages provided,
in some cases EDTA can decrease vitamin and mineral
levels in the body by binging to them, so the therapy is
recommended with essential nutrient intake.
Foods
Food industry benefits from EDTA as well as many other
industries. The biochemical properties such as the
ability to bond with several metals and preventing the
discoloration of foods makes EDTA a perfect additive that
can be used in various food products. Breakfast cereals,
canned foods, beer, mayonnaise, soda are examples of
products that contain EDTA compounds.
Industry
In detergents and soap products, chemical sprays used
in agriculture, and cosmetics EDTA is a preferred choice
since it improves the stability of the pharmaceutical
materials in the products. Since it has the ability to
bind with calcium and magnesium, EDTA is used to
prevent precipitation of these metals in pipes and tubes.
Photo industry uses Fe(III)NH4EDTA in bleaching and
complexation processes.
EDTA is also beneficial in art restoration. Sculptures often
pick up a coating of CuSO4.Cu(OH)2(s) with time and
EDTA containing paste application dissolves the coating.