EDTA

abbreviation

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid: a colorless compound, C 10 H 16 N 2 O 8 , capable of chelating a variety of divalent metal cations: as a salt used as an anticoagulant, antioxidant, blood cholesterol reducer, food preservative; as a calcium-disodium salt used in the treatment of lead and other heavy-metal poisonings.

EDTA

noun

1. ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid; a colourless crystalline slightly soluble organic compound used in inorganic chemistry and biochemistry. It is a powerful chelating agent used to stabilize bleach in detergents. Formula: [(HOOCCH 2 ) 2 NCH 2 ] 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of EDTA¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Calcium Disodium EDTA, which is banned within drinks in the UK, was found in Mountain Dew.

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Ueda, for instance, has shown that EDTA, a commonly used laboratory chemical, efficiently removes calcium from bone.

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After the blood was revealed to contain EDTA, a chemical used to preserve blood samples in police labs, Cooper’s team suggested the blood had been planted on the shirt.

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They point to tests that suggest the blood on the T-shirt contained the preservative EDTA, which is added to blood samples collected in vials.

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Tests later revealed that Cooper’s blood stains on the T-shirt had a high concentration of the chemical EDTA, which is used to preserve blood samples in police labs.

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