Disodium EDTA, also known as edetic disodium, is a chelating agent commonly used in various industries. Here's a breakdown of its key properties and applications:
Function:
- Disodium EDTA binds to metal ions. These metal ions can be found naturally in water or come from ingredients in a product. By binding to them, disodium EDTA essentially inactivates them.
Applications:
- Cosmetics and Personal Care:
- Improves shelf life by preventing the breakdown of ingredients caused by metal ions .
- Enhances the effectiveness of preservatives by reducing the availability of metal ions that some microbes need to survive.
- Can help control soap scum by binding to calcium and magnesium ions in hard water .
- Food Industry:
- Used as a food additive to chelate metal ions that can affect color, flavor, texture, or cloud stability of food products.
- Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at certain concentrations.
- Pharmaceuticals:
- Used to treat heavy metal poisoning by binding to the metal ions and allowing them to be eliminated from the body.
- Can also be used in some diagnostic tests.
