Introducing EDTA, The Bully Who is Really A Hero!

EDTA- Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

The story of this chemical takes place back in 1935 when a man named Ferdinand Munz first synthesized it (1). EDTA, abbreviated for Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, comes in many forms whether that is liquid or a power. Commonly it EDTA is a colourless or white which makes it indistinguishable from many other chemical compounds. However, what makes EDTA stand out above the rest is its strong bullying power!

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           This is what makes EDTA super cool. EDTA is a is a bully in a sense and what EDTA will do, is when it is placed in or around a chemical that contains metals, like calcium or magnesium or even lead, EDTA will grab hold of these metals and makes them powerless. EDTA can do this by being a hexadentate which  is commonly known as a ligand and chelating agent for its special bullying power. What a hexadentate means is six options for an atom to bind to the EDTA structure. (1)

         Since EDTA is such an awesome bully it is commonly found everywhere and you yourself have come into contact with it before. EDTA is in alcoholic beverages, salad dressings, make-up, shampoo and many other hair products (8). If you have ever wondered why salad dressing lasts so long is because EDTA will actually help with a longer shelf life so you don’t have to buy a new salad dressing each week like you would milk or bread.

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         Being in contact with EDTA doesn’t mean much as the amount of EDTA that would actually cause affects is pretty low as 28.5-30 mg per kg of weight (2). That’s a lot considering that salad dressing only has about a 100ppm concentration (8).When coming into contact with the lethal dose of 28.5 mg/kg one can experience skin irritations, allergic reactions, asthma attacks and even kidney failure (3).  These are the worse cases and some may even not experience anything from exposure. Its best to keep in mind that EDTA is everywhere and is even used for medical practices. A cool fact is that when some one has lead poisoning the hospital will inject EDTA into the patient and EDTA will work it bullying magic and stop the evil lead for poisoning!

So be safe and share the knowledge!





References: 

1.Contributors, W. (2014, 10 29). Ethlenediaminetetraacetic acid. Retrieved 11 11, 2014, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylenediaminetetraacetic_acid#Alternatives_to_EDTA

2.CSID:5826. (n.d.). Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Retrieved 11 11, 2014, from ChemSpider: http://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.5826.html?rid=7cd36308-2185-44c0-a265-9406d266c4e3

3.D, K. D. (1999). Should We Risk It. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
4. n.a (2014). Keep Calm and Posters. Retrieved December 07,2014 from http://www.keepcalmandposters.com/posters/1312339.png

5.Lichtfouse. E, S. J. (2005). Environmental Chemistry. Berlin: Springer.

6.M, S. (1997). Environmental Fate or EDTA and DTPA. Retrieved 11 10, 2014, from PubMed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9297986

7.n.a. (n.d). EDTA. Retrieved 11 10, 2014, from ChemBook: http://www.chemicalbook.com/ProductChemicalPropertiesCB81098918_EN.htm

8.n.a. (2001). Find a Vitamin or Supplement-EDTA. Retrieved 11 10, 2014, from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1032-EDTA.aspx?activeIngredientId=1032&activeIngredientName=EDTA&source=1

9.Rosel, K. (2014, 06 23). Harmful Food Additives in salad dressing. Retrieved 11 11, 2014, from Naturally Savvy: http://naturallysavvy.com/eat/harmful-food-additives-in-salad-dressing