A chelating agent used to remove multivalent cations from solution as chelates, and used in biochemical research to remove Mg2+, Fe2+, among other elements, from reactions affected by such ions. As the sodium salt, used as a water softener, to stabilize drugs rapidly decomposed in the presence of traces of metal ions, and as an anticoagulant; as the sodium calcium salt, used to remove radium, lead, strontium, plutonium, and cadmium from hard tissue, forming stable un-ionized soluble compounds that are excreted by the kidneys. Cf.: EGTA SYN: edathamil, edetic acid.
