The crystal structures of tetrasodium (1,2-ethanediyldinitrilo)tetraacetate pentahydrate and disodium dihydrogen (1,2-ethanediyldinitrilo)tetraacetate dihydrate have been determined. Na ions prefer to act as bridges between different edta ligands and only in the tetrasodium salt is the edta ligand hexadentate to one Na ion. Na ions display seven-coordination, when coordinated to one edta ligand (distorted pentagonal bipyramid), and six-coordination, when linked to several edta ligands (from distorted octahedral to trapezoidal bipyramidal geometry). An Na ion in the tetrasodium salt shows five-coordination, because the sixth site is blocked by the edta ligand. H atoms in the disodium salt are linked to amine groups. Only these two salts can be obtained on varying the pH of an aqueous solution containing Na ÷ and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. The first is obtained around pH 2-5 and the second around pH 12.
CommentThe chelating capacity of the ethylenediaminetetraacetato (edta) ligand has attracted widespread interest and the literature contains a large number of Acta Crystallographica Section C ISSN 0108-2701 ©1993REGULAR STRUCTURAL PAPERS 1453 studies on the crystal structures of metal complexes with this ligand, as well as spectroscopic and electrochemical studies (Hughes & Martell, 1953;Martell & Plumb, 1952;Scharzenbach & Freitag, 1951), aimed at determination of the behaviour of edta. Crystal structure studies of edta complexes with Na have been carried out (Solans, Font-Altaba & Garcia-Oricain, 1984; Nassimbeni, Wright, van Niekerk & MacCullum, 1979;Templeton, Templeton, Zalkin & Ruben, 1982; Templeton, Templeton & Zalkin, 1985;Solans, Gali, Font-Altaba, Oliva & Herrera, 1988;Lee, 1967;Porai-Koshits, Novozhilova, Polyniva, Filippova & Martynenko, 1973;Pozhidaev, Polynova, Porai-Koshits & Dudakov, 1974), but always on complexes containing a second metal. It is the second metal that is coordinated to the edta ligand in all the crystal structures determined. In this paper we report the behaviour of the Na ion when it is alone with the edta ligand, in order to contribute to the understanding of the chemistry of NanHmedta 4-n-m complexes. The Na salts of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid are interesting in the biochemical and medical field in spite of their toxic effects.The syntheses of the title compounds were carried out in aqueous solutions of Na2CO3 and Haedta at controlled pH; the acidity of the solutions was controlled by addition of HC1 or piperazine. Within the pH range 0.5-14, only two compounds were obtained. Neither of the dry crystalline products obtained decomposes detectably on exposure to laboratory air. From pH-meter analysis we conclude that only the disodium and tetrasodium salts can be obtained from ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid in aqueous solution. This result disagrees with those of Palaty (1963) and does not support the existence of a commercial product with formula Hedta.Na3. Powder diffraction analysis of the commercial product shows that it is an equimolar mixture of the dis...