AL Chemistry Project No. 9

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AL Chemistry Project No. 9

• The Use of EDTA
• in
• Food Industry and Chelation Therapy

Group members Leung Hoi Yan 7S (18) Ling Wing
Yee 7S (21)
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EDTA

• Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
• Chelating agent
• Mostly synthesized from
• 1,2-diaminoethane, formaldehyde,
• water and sodium cyanide

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Uses of EDTA

• Industrial cleaning
• Detergents
• Photography
• Pulp and paper industry
• Textile industry
• Agrochemicals
• Hydroponics

• Food industry
• Personal care
• Oil production
• Dairy and beverage industry
• Flue gas cleaning
• Chelation therapy

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Food Industry

• Added as preservative
• Approved to use in packaged foods, vitamins, and
  baby food
• To prevent catalytic oxidation by metal ions or
  stabilizer and for iron fortification
• Deactivates enzymes by removing the metal ions
  from them and forming stable chelates with them

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Food Industry

• Soft drinks
• Contain ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate
• To alleviate formation of benzene (a carcinogen)

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Chelating Agent

• A substance whose molecules can form several
  bonds to a single metal ion
• The most common and most widely used chelating
  agents are those that coordinate to metal ions
  through oxygen or nitrogen donor atoms, or
  through both

Metal-EDTA chelate
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Chelation Therapy

• Chelation involves the two nitrogen atoms and two
  oxygen atoms in separate carboxyl (-COO) groups
• Administration of chelating agents to remove
  heavy metals from the body
• For treating acute heavy metal poisoning

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Chelation Therapy

• Convert toxic metal agents to a chemically inert
  form that can be excreted without further
  interaction with the body
• Administered intravenously, intramuscularly or
  orally
• Combined with chromium to evaluate kidney
  function
• Used as anticoagulant for blood samples

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