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View Full Version : What the heck is chelating?!



RubySlippers
August 16th, 2012, 04:51 AM
I have tried many a search, and I can find nothing!:confused:

Tisiloves
August 16th, 2012, 04:57 AM
It's where you use stuff like EDTA to remove mineral/metal build-up.

RubySlippers
August 16th, 2012, 05:00 AM
Metal!!?

:bigeyes: :ponder: :uhh:

I have metal in my hair!!!?

Tisiloves
August 16th, 2012, 05:05 AM
Metal!!?

:bigeyes: :ponder: :uhh:

I have metal in my hair!!!?

Possibly, some areas have high levels of metal salts in the water, plus whatever rubbed/rusted off the pipes.

RubySlippers
August 16th, 2012, 05:09 AM
O wow!

That doesn't sound like something I would want.
But, before I go freaking out about my heavy metal hair (:lol:) what exactly is the problem with having metal in my hair? I mean, it doesn't sound good, but is it bad in any specific way?

Deary me, just when I thought I was getting the hand of this long hair business, up crops another hurdle!

Tisiloves
August 16th, 2012, 05:12 AM
It can just build up and make your hair look/feel/act odd, and iron oxide can turn blondes strawberry-blonde. If you haven't noticed a problem then you haven't got one.

RubySlippers
August 16th, 2012, 05:17 AM
It can just build up and make your hair look/feel/act odd, and iron oxide can turn blondes strawberry-blonde. If you haven't noticed a problem then you haven't got one.

:D

Thank you Tisiloves

No problem here in that case!

Arakazi
August 16th, 2012, 05:20 AM
I came across that word on here today and had no idea what it meant. Now I do! Thanks Tisiloves for the clarification!! :D

RubySlippers
August 16th, 2012, 05:23 AM
I came across that word on here today and had no idea what it meant. Now I do! Thanks Tisiloves for the clarification!! :D

Heeheehee...no, clarification is something else...:cheese:

(sorry!)

SongofLove
August 16th, 2012, 09:21 AM
Certain compounds can form bonds to metals to form a "complex". In a complex, the compounds that attach to the metal center are called "ligands".

For example, water molecules and ammonia molecules can act as ligands and bind to metals. Water and ammonia are examples of monodentate ligands --- ligands that only can form one bond to the metal atom.

Chelation is the formation of a complex between a metal and a chelating agent. A chelating agent is a ligand that can make more than one bond to the metal atom---a multidentate ligand. For example, EDTA, the chelating agent that Tisiloves mentioned, can make six bonds to a metal. This makes the complex more stable, which means that generally, the metal will prefer to bond with a chelating agent rather than with a monodentate ligand.

This is why chelating agents are very effective at binding to metals and are used to "remove" undesirable metals (the metals are not really gone; they are bound up in a complex so that they cannot react further).

Panth
August 16th, 2012, 11:13 AM
Certain compounds can form bonds to metals to form a "complex". In a complex, the compounds that attach to the metal center are called "ligands".

For example, water molecules and ammonia molecules can act as ligands and bind to metals. Water and ammonia are examples of monodentate ligands --- ligands that only can form one bond to the metal atom.

Chelation is the formation of a complex between a metal and a chelating agent. A chelating agent is a ligand that can make more than one bond to the metal atom---a multidentate ligand. For example, EDTA, the chelating agent that Tisiloves mentioned, can make six bonds to a metal. This makes the complex more stable, which means that generally, the metal will prefer to bond with a chelating agent rather than with a monodentate ligand.

This is why chelating agents are very effective at binding to metals and are used to "remove" undesirable metals (the metals are not really gone; they are bound up in a complex so that they cannot react further).

Just to add: the metals will be really gone in the case of hair. Originally, they were bound to your hair. When you chelate, they bind to the chelating agent. You then wash the chelating agent out of your hair, resulting in the metals being removed from your hair.

Also, it's not just metals that chelation can help with. Some minerals and chemicals can be removed using a chelator e.g. limescale from hard water, chlorine from swimming pools.

Wildcat Diva
August 16th, 2012, 11:17 AM
Citric acid rinses are good for this

veetee12
August 16th, 2012, 11:17 AM
So I'll tag along with a dumb question: What is "EDTA"?!
Please be kind, I am new. :)

Tisiloves
August 16th, 2012, 11:41 AM
It's just a shampoo/conditioner ingredient, it's used in low levels (further down the ingredients list) as a presevative and in higher levels (towards the start of the ingredients list) as a chelator, particularly in stuff like swimmer's S&C.

veetee12
August 16th, 2012, 12:31 PM
Ah ... I use all natural shampoos/condis .. they don't have that. I use the ones that are really truly tree-hugger.. :)
Thanks Tisiloves for enlightening me.

Arakazi
August 16th, 2012, 01:59 PM
Heeheehee...no, clarification is something else...:cheese:

(sorry!)

I see what you did there!... :eyebrows: