Complexation of N-bis[2-(1,2-dicarboxyethoxy)ethyl]aspartic acid with Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) ions in aqueous solution

The persistence of widely used chelating agents EDTA and DTPA in nature has been of concern and there is a need for ligands to replace them. In a search for environmentally friendly metal chelating ligands for industrial applications, complex formation equilibria of N-bis[2-(1,2-dicarboxyethoxy)ethyl]aspartic acid (BCA6) with Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) in aqueous 0.1 M NaNO₃ solution were studied at 25°C by potentiometric titration. Complexation was modeled and the stability constants of the different complexes were determined for each metal ion using the computer program SUPERQUAD. With all metal ions, stable ML^4? complexes dominated the complex formation. The stabilities of Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) chelates of BCA6 are remarkably lower than those of EDTA and DTPA. Environmental advantages of the use of BCA6 instead of EDTA and DTPA are better biodegradability and lower nitrogen content with a possibility to save chemicals and process steps in pulp bleaching.