What is a chelating agent, organic or inorganic

Chelating agents can be both organic and inorganic. Chelating agents are compounds that can form stable complexes (chelating complexes) with metal ions. These complexes are usually formed by one or more ligands combining with metal ions through uniform coordination bonds.

Organic chelating agents refer to chelating agents composed of molecules containing organic functional groups. These organic chelating agents typically have multiple functional groups that can provide coordination sites, such as carboxylic acids, amines, imines, etc. Common organic chelating agents include ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), nitrite, citric acid, etc.

Inorganic chelating agents refer to chelating agents composed of inorganic substances. Inorganic chelating agents are usually polyacids, polyhydroxy compounds, or other inorganic ligands that contain coordination sites. For example, polyphosphates (such as sodium polyphosphate) can form complexes with metal ions such as calcium and magnesium, playing a role in scale inhibition.

Both organic and inorganic chelating agents can react with metal ions to form stable complexes, thereby inhibiting or preventing the precipitation and scaling of metal ions. Chelating agents are widely used in many fields, such as water treatment, medicine, metallurgy, etc.