Chelating agents in high temperature aqueous chemistry. 1. The kinetics of the thermal decomposition of aqueous nitrilotriacetate (NTA), iminodiacetate (IDA), and N-methyliminodiacetate (MIDA)

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Abstract
Aqueous H3NTA, H2MIDA, H2IDA, and their anions decompose under hydrothermal conditions (400–580 K) according to first order kinetics by successive decarboxylations, oxidation by O2 being unimportant except at the highest temperatures. In the presence of added H+, the species H4NTA+ and, to a lesser extent, H3MIDA+ (but not H3IDA+), provide significant decomposition pathways through elimination of a —CH2COO— group (deacetylation). For HnNTA(3−n)−, first order rate coefficients kn for decomposition are k0 = 4.5 × 10−7, k1 ∼ 1 × 10−6, k2 ∼ 7 × 10−5, k3 = 2.1 × 10−4, and k4 = 1.0 × 10−2 s1, at 503 K and ionic strength 2.0 m, the spread in rates being due to differences in ΔS* rather than ΔH*. H2MIDA and H2IDA are comparable in reactivity to H3NTA, while their anions are much less reactive than the NTA species of the same charge. The good thermal stability of aqueous NTA commends it as a reagent for boiler servicing and for decontamination of water-cooled nuclear reactors. A potentiometric method for the estimation of mono-, di-, and tribasic aminoacids in aqueous mixtures of these is described.

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