Equilibrations were performed with complexing reagent(s) to mobilise Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn from a contaminated urban soil. The metal-laden aqueous extract was treated with zero-valent magnesium (Mg 0 ) or bimetallic mixture (Pd 0 /Mg 0 or Ag 0 /Mg 0 ) to precipitate the heavy metals from solution while liberating the chelating reagent(s). Post precipitation, the pH of aqueous supernatant fraction was readjusted to y5 and the solution was re-combined with the soil particulates to extract more heavy metal pollutants. A sparing quantity of EDTA (10 mmoles) mobilised 32-54% of the 5 mmoles of heavy-metals from the soil with three cycles but only 0.1% of the iron was removed. Three successive extractions with a mixture of complexing reagents (3 mmoles), 1 : 1 EDTA plus HEDC [bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-dithiocarbamate], mobilised y49% of the Pb, y18% of the Zn and y19% of the Mn burden but only 7% of the Cu, and 1% of the Fe from this soil. An appreciable fraction of the mobilised Pb and Cu and a portion of the Zn was cemented to the surfaces of the excess magnesium whereas virtually all of the Fe and Mn was removed from solution as insoluble hydroxides.