Technical Information Trilon® D Liquid

March 2014
Supersedes issue dated December 2013

08_080688e-02/Page 1 of 6
Last change WF-No. 3908

®=R
 egistered trademark of BASF Organic chelating agent used to control the concentration of metal ions in
in many countries. aqueous systems
08_080688e-02 March 2014 Page 2 of 6 Trilon® D Liquid

Properties
Chemical nature The active ingredient contained in Trilon® D Liquid is hydroxyethylethylene­diamine­
triacetic acid (HEDTA or HEDTA-H3 ) or its salts.

Hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic acid, C10H15N2O7 , is an aminocarboxylic acid

with six functional groups.

     

   

   

PRD-No.* 30043456

* BASF’s commercial product numbers.

Trilon® D Liquid Aqueous solution of the trisodium salt of hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic acid

(HEDTA-Na3 )
CAS-No. 139-89-9

Chemical and physical data Unit Trilon® D Liquid

Physical form Clear, yellowish to
(visual, RT) yellow liquid
Molar mass g/mol 344
Concentration (BASF method)*
expressed as trisodium salt (HEDTA-Na3 ) % approx. 40
expressed as free acid (HEDTA-H3 ) % approx. 32
Density g/cm3 approx.   1.26
(DIN 51757, 20 °C, U-tube densitometer)
pH value approx. 11.5
(DIN 19268, 23 °C, 1% in dist. water)
Hazen color max. 250
(DIN EN 1557, RT)
Volatile NH3 ppm max. 100
(BASF method)
Calcium binding capacity mg CaCO3 /g t. q. approx. 125
(BASF method, pH 11)
Water content % approx.   55
(EN 13267)
Viscosity mPa · s approx.   30
(DIN EN 12092, Brookfield, 23 °C)
Pour Point °C <-20
(DIN ISO 3016)
Solubility in water Miscible

The above information is correct at the time of going to press. It does not necessarily
form part of the product specification.

A detailed product specification is available from your local BASF representative.

* Determined by potentiometric titration against iron(III)chloride.

08_080688e-02 March 2014 Page 3 of 6 Trilon® D Liquid

Viscosity The relationship between viscosity and temperature is always an important point to
consider when Trilon® D Liquid is to be delivered or put into storage. The following
curve shows the viscosity of Trilon® D Liquid as a function of temperature. (all values
are approximate; mPa·s, Brookfield LVT):

110

100

90

80

Viscosity (mPa·s)
70

60

50

40

30

20

10
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
Temperature (°C)

Complex formation The most important property of Trilon® D Liquid is its ability to form water-soluble
complexes with polyvalent ions (eg. calcium, magnesium, lead, copper, zinc, cad­
mium, mercury, manganese, iron, aluminium) over a wide pH range from 2 to 13.5.
HEDTA usually forms 1 : 1 complexes, i. e. 1 mol of HEDTA chelates binds to 1 mol
of metal ions. The metal ion is completely enclosed by the ligand. These complexes
remain stable, especially in alkali media and even at temperatures of up to 100 °C.

From the law of mass action, the equation for the stability constant K for 1 : 1
complexes can be written as follows:

[MeZ(m-n)-]
K=
[Men+] [Zm-]

where

[MeZ(m-n)-] is the concentration of the chelate that is formed

[Men+] is the concentration of free, positively charged metal ions

[Zm-] is the concentration of the ligand anion, in this case EDTA

K is the stability constant for the chelate.

08_080688e-02 March 2014 Page 4 of 6 Trilon® D Liquid

Logarithmic stability constants (log K) for complexes of HEDTA and selected metal
ions:
Metal ion log K
Fe 3+
19.8
Cu 2+
17.5
Ni2+
17.1
Zn 2+
14.6
Fe2+ 12.2
Mn 2+
10.8
Ca 2+
 8.2
Mg 2+
 7.0

HEDTA-H3 is a tribasic acid that dissociates in three steps. The acid dissociation
constants pKa are as follows.

HEDTA-H3 pKa1 2.6

HEDTA-H 2
-
pKa2 5.3
HEDTA-H2- pKa3 9.7

In aqueous solutions, HEDTA competes for metal ions with other anions such as
hydroxide, sulphate, sulphide, carbonate and oxalate that form sparingly soluble metal
salts. The formation of chelates reduces the concentration of free metal ions [Men+] to
such an extent that the solubility products of many sparingly soluble metal salts are no
longer exceeded. The result is that the salts no longer precipitate or may even
redissolve.

The high stability of these complexes prevents the metal ions from participating in
typical chemical reactions. For instance, manganese, iron and copper are no longer
able to catalyse the decomposition of peroxide bleach.

Conditional stability constants [log Kcond] take into account the stability constant
K as well as the acid base dissociation equilibria.

log Kcond.
16

14

12

10

6
Ca2+
4 Cu2+
Fe3+
2 Mg2+
Mn2+
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
ph

Conditional stability constants for selected HEDTA chelates.

08_080688e-02 March 2014 Page 5 of 6 Trilon® D Liquid

The table below shows the pH ranges in which HEDTA forms stable complexes.
1 g of Trilon® D Liquid is able to sequester the following amounts of metal ions,
independently of the temperature.
mg Metal ion pH range
approx. 47 Ca 2+
  8.5 – 11.0
approx. 28 Mg 2+
10.0 – 12.0
approx. 74 Cu2+   3.0 – 11.0
approx. 65 Fe 3+
  2.0 – 10.0

Chemical stability Trilon® D Liquid is chemically very stable.

The Trilon® D Liquid exhibit a higher stability than other organic chelating
agents such as citric acid, tartaric acid and gluconates – especially at elevated
temperatures.

Whereas inorganic sequestring agents (eg. phosphates) may hydrolyse at

high temperatures, Trilon® D Liquid is stable – even when heated to 200 °C under
pressure.

The Trilon® D Liquid is resistant to strong acids and bases. It is gradually broken
down by chromic acid, potassium permanganate and other strong oxidizing agents.
Stability in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, percarbonate and perborate is
sufficient for joint application. Nevertheless, we do not recommend combining
Trilon® D Liquid and peroxides in liquid formulations.

Sodium hypochlorite and other substances that release chlorine have a highly
detrimental effect on the performance of Trilon® D Liquid. Alkaline earth and
heavy metal complexes are broken down.

Corrosion Trilon® D Liquid stabilizes polyvalent metal ions, which means that it can increase
the rate at which metals dissolve. Nevertheless, with the exception of aluminium,
an oxidizing agent such as air always has to be present for corrosion to take place.
Unalloyed steel is prone to corrosion in media that contain air, but corrosion can
be reduced substantially if the pH is in the alkaline range and can be eliminated
almost completely if oxygen and other oxidizing agents are excluded. With the
exception of aluminium, metals that are cleaned in the slightly alkaline range, which
is the optimum pH range for Trilon® D Liquid, are much less prone to corrosion
than if they are cleaned with acids.

The only type of corrosion that has been observed with Trilon® D Liquid is
uniform corrosion: pitting or stress cracking have not been observed in media with
a low chloride content. One of the advantages of Trilon® D Liquid is that it can be
supplied with a very low chloride content (<20 mg/kg).

The following information on materials is of a very general nature, because corrosion

depends on many different factors such as exposure to air, galvanic corrosion
caused by the presence of different materials and by the flow patterns of liquids.
The compatibility of Trilon® D Liquid with different materials needs to be tested in
each individual case.

Ferritic carbon steel such as ASTM A201 Grade B (European Material No. P265GH)
is fairly resistant to Trilon® D Liquid. A rate of corrosion of <0.01 mm/a has been
measured at 54 °C.

Aluminium and aluminium alloys such as AL 7075 T6 (European Material No. 3.3465)
are not resistant to Trilon® D Liquid, because it is alkaline and aluminium is
quickly corroded by strong bases.
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Safety We know of no ill effects that could have resulted from using the Trilon® D Liquid
for the purpose for which it is intended and from processing it in accordance with
current practice. According to the experience we have gained over many years and
other information at our disposal, the Trilon® D Liquid does not exert any harmful
effects on health, provided that it is used properly, due attention is given to the
precautions necessary for handling chemicals, and the information and advice
given in our Safety Data Sheets are observed.

Storage
a)  Trilon® D Liquid should not be stored at temperatures below 0 °C, because
this can cause it to precipitate. It can be reconstituted by heating it briefly to
40 – 50 °C and stirring.
b)  Trilon® D Liquid is easily capable of being pumped at low temperatures.

Materials The following materials can be used for tanks and drums:
a)  AISI 321 stainless steel (X6 CrNiTi 1810)
b)  AISI 316 Ti stainless steel (X6 CrNiMoTi 17122)

Shelf life Trilon® D Liquid has a shelf life of two years, provided it is stored in its original
packaging and kept tightly sealed.

Labelling Please refer to the latest Safety Data Sheets for detailed, up-to-date information
on classification, labelling and product safety.

Note This document, or any answers or information provided herein by BASF, does
not constitute a legally binding obligation of BASF. While the descriptions, designs,
data and information contained herein are presented in good faith and believed
to be accurate, it is provided for your guidance only. Because many factors may
affect processing or application/use, we recommend that you make tests to
determine the suitability of a product for your particular purpose prior to use. It
does not relieve our customers from the obligation to perform a full inspection of
the products upon delivery or any other obligation. NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND,
EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY
OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE MADE REGARDING PRODUCTS
DESCRIBED OR DESIGNS, DATA OR INFORMATION SET FORTH, OR THAT THE
PRODUCTS, DESIGNS, DATA OR INFORMATION MAY BE USED WITHOUT
INFRINGING THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS OF OTHERS. IN NO CASE
SHALL THE DESCRIPTIONS, INFORMATION, DATA OR DESIGNS PROVIDED BE
CONSIDERED A PART OF OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE.

March 2014

BASF – Care Chemicals Division – www.homecare-and-i-and-i.basf.com