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N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is a white to off-white crystalline solid that is highly water-soluble, chemically stable under normal conditions, and typically available as a powder or aqueous solution for ease of handling and incorporation into various products.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is extensively utilized in detergent formulations as a chelating agent to soften water by binding hardness ions, which enhances the cleaning efficiency of soaps, detergents, and other cleaning products.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is employed in industrial water treatment to control scale formation, corrosion, and metal deposition in boilers, cooling systems, and pipelines, making it a key additive for maintaining the efficiency and longevity of industrial equipment.
CAS Number: 5994-61-6
Molecular Formula: C5H10NO7P
Molecular Weight: 227.11
EINECS Number: 227-824-5
Synonyms: 5994-61-6, N-(Carboxymethyl)-N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine, Phosphonomethyliminodiacetic acid, N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid, 2,2'-[(phosphonomethyl)imino]diacetic acid, Glycine, N-(carboxymethyl)-N-(phosphonomethyl)-, PMIDA, CHEBI:63485, AN335F415X, EINECS 227-824-5, DTXSID3027611, EC 227-824-5, NITRILOTRIS(METHYLENE) TRIPHONIC ACID, AMINOMETHYLPHOSPHONIC N,N-DIACETIC ACID, NITRILODIACETIC ACID METHYLPHOSPHONIC ACID, ACETIC ACID, ((PHOSPHONOMETHYL)IMINO)DI-, 2,2'-((phosphonomethyl)imino)diacetic acid, RefChem:828383, DTXCID607611, 227-824-5, N-(Carboxymethyl)-N-(phosphonomethyl)-glycine, 2,2'-((Phosphonomethyl)azanediyl)diacetic acid, 2-[carboxymethyl(phosphonomethyl)amino]acetic acid, N-(Phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid hydrate, MFCD01332230, CHEMBL5396533, C5H10NO7P, n-phosphonomethyliminodiacetic acid, UNII-AN335F415X, N-(phosphonomethyl) iminodiacetic acid, Epitope ID:167842, SCHEMBL65674, BDBM50619643, N-phosphonomethyl-imino diacetic acid, N-phosphonomethyl-imino-diacetic acid, STK061540, AKOS003599930, CS-W014203, N-(phosphonomethyl) imino-diacetic acid, SY026498, 3-Azapentanedioic acid, 3-phosphonomethyl-, 2,2'-(phosphonomethylazanediyl)diacetic acid, NS00003660, E83010, A832548, F827435, [bis(carboxymethyl)azaniumyl]methyl-hydroxyphosphinate, Q27132653, 2-[2-hydroxy-2-oxoethyl(phosphonomethyl)amino]ethanoic acid, n-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiaceticacidhydrate, n-(carboxymethyl)-n-(phosphonomethyl)-glycine, N-(PHOSPHONOMETHYL)IMINODIACETIC ACID, N-(PHOSPHONOMETHYL)IMINODIACETIC ACID MONOHYDRATE, PMIDA, N-Phosphonomethyl aminodiacetic acid, PMID, N-(PHOSPHONOMETHYL)IMINODIACETIC ACID, 9 5%
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid, commonly abbreviated as PMIDA, is a synthetic organophosphorus compound characterized by the presence of both phosphonate and carboxylate functional groups attached to a central nitrogen atom, which gives it strong chelating and complexing abilities, allowing it to bind effectively to metal ions such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and other polyvalent cations.
This unique chemical structure makes N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid a highly versatile compound widely used in industrial, agricultural, and chemical applications because it can prevent the precipitation and deposition of metal salts, thereby improving the stability, solubility, and performance of formulations.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid finds applications in agriculture and horticulture as a chelating agent for micronutrient fertilizers, helping to maintain nutrients such as iron, manganese, zinc, and copper in a bioavailable form for plant uptake, which improves crop nutrition, growth, and yield.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is also occasionally used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations as a stabilizer or complexing agent, leveraging its ability to bind metal ions and prevent oxidation or degradation of sensitive ingredients.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is recognized for its strong chelating properties, chemical stability, water solubility, and versatility, making it an essential compound in detergent chemistry, industrial water treatment, fertilizer formulations, and other metal ion management applications across multiple industries.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid, commonly abbreviated as PMIDA, is a synthetic organophosphonate compound that functions primarily as a chelating and sequestering agent due to the presence of a phosphonomethyl group and two carboxymethyl groups attached to a central nitrogen atom, which together create multiple coordination sites capable of binding strongly to divalent and trivalent metal ions, including calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and manganese.
This property allows N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid to prevent precipitation, scaling, and unwanted metal-catalyzed reactions in aqueous systems, making it invaluable in both industrial and consumer applications where water hardness or metal contamination can compromise performance, stability, or efficacy.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is typically encountered as a white to off-white crystalline powder or as a stable aqueous solution, with excellent water solubility, chemical stability, and resistance to hydrolysis, allowing it to maintain its chelating functionality under a wide range of pH and temperature conditions.
Its ability to bind metal ions prevents hard water deposits in detergents, soaps, and cleaning products, enhancing surfactant performance, cleaning efficiency, and fabric care, while also reducing spotting and residue formation on surfaces or textiles.
In industrial water systems, such as boilers, cooling towers, and heat exchangers, N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid mitigates scale formation, corrosion, and fouling, ensuring long-term operational efficiency and preventing damage caused by metal ion accumulation or reactions with dissolved oxygen.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is employed as a micronutrient chelator that stabilizes essential metals such as iron, zinc, manganese, and copper, maintaining them in a bioavailable form for plant uptake, which is particularly important in alkaline or calcareous soils where micronutrients would otherwise precipitate or become unavailable, thereby supporting optimal crop growth, nutrient efficiency, and agricultural yield.
Furthermore, N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid finds applications in cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations, where it serves as a stabilizing agent, antioxidant enhancer, or metal ion sequestrant, preventing oxidation, discoloration, and degradation of active ingredients, thus increasing the shelf life, safety, and effectiveness of a wide range of consumer products.
Melting point: 215 °C (decomposes) (lit.)
Boiling point: 585.9 ± 60.0 °C (Predicted)
Density: 1.792 ± 0.06 g/cm³ (Predicted)
Vapor pressure: 0 Pa at 45 °C
Storage temperature: Room temperature, protect from light
Solubility in aqueous base: Slightly soluble
Solubility in methanol: Slightly soluble
Form: Crystalline
pKa: 0.90 ± 0.10 (Predicted)
Appearance: White to off-white solid
BRN: 1795744
Stability: Hygroscopic
InChI: InChI=1S/C5H10NO7P/c7-4(8)1-6(2-5(9)10)3-14(11,12)13/h1-3H2,(H,7,8)(H,9,10)(H2,11,12,13)
InChIKey: AZIHIQIVLANVKD-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES: C(O)(=O)CN(CC(O)=O)CP(O)(O)=O
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid, widely known as PMIDA, is a synthetic chelating agent belonging to the class of organophosphorus compounds, which are distinguished by the presence of phosphonate groups covalently bonded to a nitrogen-containing backbone.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acids chemical structure consists of a central nitrogen atom bound to one phosphonomethyl group and two carboxymethyl groups, giving it multiple sites capable of forming strong coordination bonds with a wide range of metal ions, including calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and manganese, which allows it to function as an effective metal ion sequestrant, scale inhibitor, and stabilizer in aqueous and industrial systems.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is typically a white crystalline powder or an aqueous solution, highly soluble in water, chemically stable under normal environmental conditions, and resistant to hydrolysis, which makes it suitable for incorporation into diverse industrial formulations.
Its exceptional chelating capacity enables it to prevent the precipitation and crystallization of metal salts in hard water, which is critical in detergent and cleaning product applications, where it enhances the efficiency of surfactants, improves cleaning performance, and prevents undesirable deposition on fabrics or surfaces.
In industrial water treatment, N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is used to control scaling, corrosion, and fouling in boilers, cooling towers, and heat exchangers, ensuring that metal ions do not accumulate and compromise equipment performance, efficiency, or lifespan.
In the agricultural sector, N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid serves as a micronutrient chelator, maintaining metals such as iron, manganese, zinc, and copper in a soluble, bioavailable form that can be absorbed efficiently by plants, which enhances crop growth, nutrient uptake, and yield, particularly in soils with high pH or high levels of competing ions that would otherwise render the micronutrients unavailable.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid can be found in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and personal care products where it acts as a stabilizer or antioxidant enhancer, preventing metal-catalyzed degradation, discoloration, or oxidation of sensitive ingredients, thus extending the shelf life and efficacy of formulations.
Due to its versatility, strong metal-binding ability, chemical stability, and water solubility, N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is considered an essential additive in detergents, water treatment chemicals, fertilizer formulations, industrial cleaning products, and specialized pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations, contributing both functional and performance-enhancing properties that are critical in commercial and industrial applications.
A tertiary amino compound that consists of iminodiacetic acid bearing an N-phosphonomethyl substituent.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid hydrate is the hydrated form of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid (PMIDA; H4pmida).
The solubility of N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid in various solvents and solvent mixtures has been studied.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is the starting material for the synthesis of N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetate (pmida4-), a multidentate organic ligand.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid undergoes molecular oxygen oxidation in the presence of metal salts to form N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine, also known as glyphosate.
H4pmida forms the structural unit of various three-dimensional inorganic-organic hybrid compounds.
Uses:
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is used in surface modification of cobalt oxide nanoparticle to overcome any toxic effect while functioning as cancer antigen carrier.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is widely utilized as a powerful chelating and sequestrating agent in multiple industries due to its ability to bind strongly to divalent and trivalent metal ions, which allows it to prevent the precipitation, scaling, and deposition of metals in aqueous systems, detergents, and cleaning formulations, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency, surfactant performance, and stability of consumer products such as laundry detergents, dishwashing liquids, industrial cleaning agents, and specialty soaps.
In industrial water treatment, N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is employed to control scale formation, prevent corrosion, and minimize fouling in boilers, cooling towers, heat exchangers, and pipelines by keeping metal ions in solution, which helps maintain operational efficiency, extend equipment lifespan, and reduce maintenance costs.
In agriculture and horticulture, N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is used as a micronutrient chelating agent, particularly for metals such as iron, manganese, zinc, and copper, ensuring that these essential nutrients remain soluble and bioavailable for plant uptake even in alkaline or high-calcium soils, which contributes to improved crop growth, enhanced nutrient absorption, and higher yield and quality of fruits, vegetables, and grains.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is also applied in fertilizer formulations, where it stabilizes trace elements and prevents them from reacting with other compounds in the soil, allowing more efficient delivery of micronutrients to plants.
In cosmetic and personal care products, N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid acts as a stabilizer, antioxidant enhancer, and metal ion chelator, helping to protect formulations from metal-catalyzed oxidation, discoloration, or degradation, which increases the shelf life and efficacy of products such as shampoos, conditioners, lotions, creams, and other topical applications.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is also utilized in certain pharmaceutical and specialty chemical applications, where it helps stabilize active ingredients, prevent undesired reactions with metal ions, and maintain formulation consistency, making it valuable for research, development, and manufacturing processes that require high chemical stability and control of metal contamination.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is extensively used across a wide range of industries primarily because of its exceptional chelating properties, which allow it to form strong and stable complexes with divalent and trivalent metal ions such as calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, and copper, preventing these metals from precipitating, forming scale, or catalyzing unwanted chemical reactions, which makes it an indispensable component in laundry detergents, dishwashing liquids, industrial cleaning formulations, and specialty cleaning products, where it enhances surfactant performance, boosts cleaning efficiency, prevents spotting or residue on fabrics and surfaces, and stabilizes formulations over time.
In industrial water treatment applications, N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid plays a crucial role in managing hardness ions and metal contaminants, helping to control scaling, reduce corrosion, and prevent fouling in boilers, cooling towers, heat exchangers, and other aqueous systems, thereby prolonging the operational life of equipment, minimizing maintenance costs, and maintaining energy efficiency, while ensuring that water quality remains within optimal parameters for industrial processes.
Its ability to chelate trace metals also helps prevent undesirable redox reactions that could compromise the safety, stability, or effectiveness of water treatment chemicals, making it a reliable additive for large-scale municipal, industrial, and agricultural water systems.
In the agriculture and horticulture sectors, N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is widely employed as a micronutrient chelating agent in fertilizers and soil treatments, stabilizing essential metals like iron, manganese, zinc, and copper, and ensuring they remain soluble and bioavailable to plants even in challenging soil conditions such as high pH, calcareous soils, or soils with excessive competing cations, which leads to enhanced plant growth, improved nutrient uptake, increased crop yields, and higher-quality fruits, vegetables, and grains.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is particularly valuable for foliar sprays, hydroponic systems, and controlled-release fertilizers, where maintaining micronutrient availability is critical for plant health and productivity.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is a chemical used in various industrial and agricultural applications.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid’s multifunctionality, including strong chelating capacity, chemical stability, solubility, and versatility across pH ranges, makes it a critical ingredient in detergents, water treatment systems, fertilizers, cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations, and specialty industrial applications, where it provides enhanced performance, metal ion control, and protection against undesirable chemical reactions, ultimately supporting efficiency, product quality, and long-term stability in a wide variety of commercial and industrial contexts.
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid’s strong chelating ability, chemical stability, and water solubility make it an indispensable ingredient in detergents, industrial water systems, fertilizers, cosmetic products, and specialty chemical formulations, providing a combination of functional performance, stability, and metal ion management that ensures reliable and efficient operation across a wide range of industrial, agricultural, and consumer applications.
Safety Profile:
N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is generally considered to have low acute toxicity, but exposure to the compound can present certain health hazards, particularly when handled in high concentrations, as a fine powder, or in poorly ventilated environments, which may result in skin, eye, and respiratory irritation; direct contact with the eyes or skin can cause redness, itching, or mild chemical burns, while inhalation of dust may lead to coughing, sneezing, nasal irritation, or short-term respiratory discomfort, especially for individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic bronchitis.
Although N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is not classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or highly toxic, prolonged or repeated exposure to concentrated solutions or powders could result in dermatitis, sensitization, or allergic reactions in susceptible individuals, and accidental ingestion of significant quantities may cause gastrointestinal distress, including nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, though severe systemic toxicity is rare.
In industrial or laboratory settings, improper handling can increase the risk of inhalation or dermal exposure, which underscores the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves, safety goggles, and masks, as well as adequate ventilation, to minimize potential health risks.
From an environmental perspective, N-Phosphonomethyl Iminodiacetic Acid is moderately persistent and highly water-soluble, which means that large-scale release into aquatic environments could potentially lead to localized metal complexation and bioavailability changes, possibly affecting aquatic organisms if concentrations are high, though it is generally regarded as having low acute environmental toxicity under normal use conditions.
Improper disposal of concentrated solutions or large amounts of the solid can contribute to soil and water contamination, so industrial and laboratory waste should be managed according to environmental regulations to minimize ecological impact.
