chemistry

Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate

Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate rather than just read about it. In short: Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate is a sodium salt of iminodisuccinic acid, also referred to as N-(1,2-dicarboxyethyl)aspartic acid. Preparation Iminodisuccinic acid can be prepared by reacting maleic anhydride with ammonia and sodium hydroxide: For the synthesis of tetrasodium iminodisuccinate, maleic anhydride is reacted with sodium hydroxide in water at elevated temperature.

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Reference excerpt

Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate is a sodium salt of iminodisuccinic acid, also referred to as N-(1,2-dicarboxyethyl)aspartic acid.

Preparation Iminodisuccinic acid can be prepared by reacting maleic anhydride with ammonia and sodium hydroxide:

For the synthesis of tetrasodium iminodisuccinate, maleic anhydride is reacted with sodium hydroxide in water at elevated temperature. A concentrated disodium maleate solution is formed to which ammonia is added at 90 to 145 °C, then excess water and ammonia is distilled off. An aqueous solution containing about 34% tetrasodium iminodisuccinate is obtained with yields of up to 98%. Spray-drying can be used to obtain a mixture of solids consisting of> 65% tetrasodium iminodisuccinate salts (essentially the tetra sodium salts), <2% maleic acid sodium salts, <8% fumaric acid sodium salts, <2% malic acid sodium salts, <15% aspartic acid sodium salts, and >15% water. The by-products of the reaction do not affect the complexing capacity or biodegradability of the tetrasodium iminodisuccinate.

Properties As a commercial product, tetrasodium iminodisuccinate is sold either as a white powder (solid mixture, produced by spray drying of the aqueous solution, Baypure® CX 100) or as granular material with a content of> 78% tetrasodium iminodisuccinate. Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate is a chelating agent, forming complexes of moderate stability (10−16), which includes (as a pentadentate ligand) alkaline earth and polyvalent heavy metal ions with one molecule of water in an octahedral structure. In 0.25% aqueous solution, a pH of 11.5 results for tetrasodium iminodisuccinate. The salt is stable for several hours in weakly acidic solution (pH> 4-7) even at 100 °C and for weeks in strongly alkaline solutions even at an elevated temperature (50 °C). Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate is classified as readily biodegradable according to OECD methods (OECD 302 B, 100% after 28 days and OECD 301 E, 78% after 28 days). As biodegradable alternatives from the class of widespread chelating agents, only nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) is sufficiently biodegradable under certain conditions (which is suspected of being carcinogenic, though) and the chelating active amino acid derivatives β-alaninediacetic acid and methylglycine diacetic acid (Trilon M®).

Use Iminodisuccinic acid has been distributed by Lanxess since 1998 under the trade name Baypure CX 100 as complexing agent. It reacts with the calcium and magnesium ions in water and forms chelate complexes of medium stability. This complexation prevents the formation of insoluble salts (deposits) and soaps (lime soaps) and thus improves the effect of detergents and dishwashing detergents, hand soaps and shampoos. As a result, the amount of conventional builders in solid detergents (carbonates, silicates, phosphates, citrates, zeolites) can be reduced or fully replaced. The calcium binding capacity for tetrasodium iminodisuccinate is approximately 230 mg CaCO3/g salt and therefore lies between the capacity of DTPA Na5 salt (210 mg CaCO3 Na salt) and EDTA Na4 salt (280 mg CaCO3/g Na-salt). Also most other applications of tetrasodium iminodisuccinate Na salt are based on the complexation of alkaline earth and heavy metal ions e. g. in industrial cleaners for the removal of biofilms and limescale, cosmetics, in electroplating, in construction (retardation), textile (protection against graying) and paper. When tetrasodium iminodisuccinate is used in solid detergent formulations instead of the common phosphonates, it inhibits the heavy metal ion catalyzed decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in bleach-containing wash liquors. Complexes of tetrasodium iminodisuccinate with Fe3+, Cu2+, Zn2+ and Mn2+ ions are used as micronutrients, as they are providing important trace elements for plants in readily absorbable form; both granulated as soil fertilizer and dissolved as foliar spray. The so far commonly in plant protection applied complexing agents such as EDTA, DTPA (diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid), EDDHA (ethylenediamine dihydroxyphenylacetic acid) or HBED (N,N'-di(2-hydroxybenzyl)ethylenediamine-N, N'-diacetic acid) are difficult to virtually non-biodegradable. In contrast, IDHA trace element complexes offer an interesting alternative.

Stereoisomerism The preparation from the achiral starting materials provides a mixture of three epimers: (R,R)-iminodisuccinate, (R,S)-iminodisuccinate, and (S,S)-iminodisuccinate. The two meso compounds [R,S] and [S,R] are identical. The enzymatic degradation in the first two cases produces the compounds D-aspartic acid and fumaric acid, and in the third case produces L-aspartic acid and fumaric acid, which are metabolized further.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate

In research: Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Salts of carboxylic acids, Secondary amines, Sodium compounds, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate in simple terms?

Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate is a sodium salt of iminodisuccinic acid, also referred to as N-(1,2-dicarboxyethyl)aspartic acid. Preparation Iminodisuccinic acid can be prepared by reacting maleic anhydride with ammonia and sodium hydroxide: For the synthesis of tetrasodium iminodisuccinate, maleic…

Why does Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tetrasodium iminodisuccinate.