What are examples of chelating agents?

Author: Mose Runolfsdottir  |  Last update: Thursday, January 15, 2026

The lead and other heavy metal chelators include succimer (dimercaptonol), dimercaprol (BAL), and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Succimer is orally available and appears to be more effective and better tolerated that the other therapies, which require intravenous administration.

What is the most common chelating agent?

Calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (CaNa2EDTA) is the most commonly used chelating agent. It is a derivative of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA); a synthetic polyamino-polycarboxylic acid and since 1950s has been one of the mainstays for the treatment of childhood lead poisoning [12].

What is an example of a natural chelating agent?

Natural Chelating Agents include: Fulvic acid: is the most powerful natural chelating agent. Fulvic acids have a molecular size ranging from 1000 to 10,000, they are more chemically reactive. There small size means that they can rapidly enter the plant.

Which of the following is an example of a chelating agent?

EDTA is the typical chelating agent that keeps these metal ions in a soluble form.

What is a chelating agent example?

Example - An example of a chelating agent is ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA). EDTA is an organic compound and is commonly used as a chelating agent in a range of industries.

Chelating agents

What are natural chelators?

Natural Chelators
  • Water.
  • Carbohydrates, including polysaccharides.
  • Organic acids with more than one coordination group.
  • Lipids.
  • Steroids.
  • Amino acids and related compounds.
  • Peptides.
  • Phosphates.

What is the best natural chelating agent?

Foods containing amino acids: Amino acids are considered natural chelating agents and can be found in corn, whole grains, spinach, carrots, turnips, plums, grapes, and pomegranates.

What is a chelating agent for humans?

A chemical compound that binds tightly to metal ions. In medicine, chelating agents are used to remove toxic metals from the body. They are also being studied in the treatment of cancer.

What are chelating shampoos?

What is a chelating shampoo? Chelating shampoos are designed to tackle buildup beyond just what's on the surface of your hair. They remove minerals, metals, and deposits from inside the hair shaft. These minerals can build up over time and cause hair to become dry, brittle, and difficult to manage.

What are the common chelating agents in food?

Common chelators used in the food industry include acids- ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), citric acid and phosphates- (sodium tripolyphosphate and hexametaphosphate).

Where are chelating agents found?

Strong chelating agents occur in natural waters predominantly in the form of metal complexes. A discussion of the fate of a chelating agent always has to address the presence of metals and how they interact with the chelates.

Can chelation cause liver damage?

You can only do chelation therapy safely under the care of a healthcare provider. Heavy metals are toxic to your body once they reach certain levels and may damage your brain, liver or other organs.

Is magnesium a chelating agent?

Chelated Magnesium is a type of Magnesium that has special molecular bonds to chelating agents. Examples of chelating agents include amino acids and citric acid. The bond between Magnesium ions and the chelating agent helps produce a more stable substance.

Can chelation therapy damage kidneys?

Chelating drugs can bind to and remove some metals your body needs, like calcium, copper, and zinc. This can lead to a deficiency in these important substances. Some people who've had chelation therapy also have low calcium levels in the blood and kidney damage.

What gets rid of heavy metals in your body?

Treatment could include:
  • Taking chelating agents to remove toxic metals from your body through your urine.
  • Pumping your stomach (gastric lavage).
  • Hemodialysis for kidney failure.
  • Medicines to treat symptoms.

Does chelation clean out your arteries?

Some early researchers thought that EDTA might stick to and remove calcium found in plaque buildups that clog arteries. That's why they thought chelation therapy could treat heart disease. But recent research suggests otherwise.

What is an example of a chelating agent in medicine?

The commonly used ones are ascorbic acid, acetylcysteine, sodium ascorbate, sodium metabisulfite, sodium bisulfite, and tocopherol. Chelating agents are chemical compounds that react with metal ions to form a stable, water-soluble complex thereby preventing catalysis of oxidation reaction.

Is vinegar a chelating agent?

Vinegar's Benefits to the Hair

Acetic acid is a mild chelating agent, so it can be useful in removing mineral deposits on the hair that accumulate over time due to impurities in the air and hard water.

Is cranberry juice a chelating agent?

The altered expression of genes associated with iron transport was consistent with the strong iron chelating capability of proanthocyanidins, a major constituent of cranberry juice.

Is lemon juice a chelating agent?

Lemon juice (LJ), rich in citric acid, is of particular interest due to its calcium ion chelating properties. This study evaluated the in vitro potential of LJ to inhibit calcium oxalate crystal formation.

Is ginger a chelating agent?

An ethanolic extract of ginger showed high Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity and ferric-reducing ability, and an aqueous extract of ginger exhibited strong free radical scavenging activity and chelating ability [16].

Does turmeric chelate heavy metals?

Curcumin scavenges free radicals induced by heavy metals in liver. Curcumin's hepatoprotective effect involves the heavy metals chelation. Curcumin promotes liver protection by upregulating the Nrf2/Keap1/ARE pathway.

Is garlic a chelating agent?

At higher concentrations (15–20 mg/mL), fresh garlic extracts showed significant (P < 0.05) chelating abilities for ferrous ions whereas aged garlic extract showed significant (P < 0.001) chelating effect compared to ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).

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