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Definition

ChEBI: A hydrate that is the dihydrate form of EDTA disodium salt.

General Description

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt dehydrate is designated as Molecular Biology grade and is suitable for molecular biology applications. It has been analyzed for the presence of nucleases and proteases.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Zinc-dependent metalloproteinases, as well as other proteases that are stabilized by calcium, can be effectively inhibited by chelation of divalent metal ions with EDTA. Other chelators such as EGTA, specific for calcium, and 1,10-phenanthroline, highly specific for zinc, can be used to target these two different types of proteases.

Purification Methods

Analytical reagent grade material can be used as primary standard after drying at 80o. Commercial grade material can be purified by crystallisation from water or by preparing a 10% aqueous solution at room temperature, then adding ethanol slowly until a slight permanent precipitate is formed, filtering, and adding an equal volume of ethanol. The precipitate is filtered off onto a sintered-glass funnel, is washed with acetone, followed by diethyl ether, and dried in air overnight to give the dihydrate. Drying at 80o for at least 24hours converts it to the anhydrous form. [Beilstein 4 IV 2451.]