EDTA/EGTA

[Warren Gallin]

In Article <574vfj$6j5 at news.orst.edu>, edstrom at Poopsie.hmsc.orst.edu (John
Edstrom) wrote:
>What is the functional difference between EGTA and EDTA?  Which
>circumstances favor either one?

EDTA is a fairly general chelator; it will bind both Mg and Ca ions, as well
as many heavy metal ions.  EGTA will chelate Ca ions but not Mg ions,
therefore is useful for diagnosing if the process you are studying is Ca ion
dependent.

Warren Gallin
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Alberta
Edmonton,  Alberta     T6G 2E9
Canada
wgallin at gpu.srv.ualberta.ca