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[compost_tea] molasses is a chelating agent



QUESTION: Why are molasses used to clean rusty surfaces? 


ANSWER: Molasses contain chelating agents. These are made of
molecules
that are shaped a bit like the claws of a crab ? the word chelation
comes directly from the Latin word cheley ? meaning claw. 


They can envelop metal atoms on the surface of an object, trapping
them
and removing them. 


Molasses owe their properties to cyclic hydroxmic acids which are
powerful chelators of iron. 


More of these compounds are found if the molasses is derived from
sugar
beet rather than cane sugar. 


The plants from which molasses is made presumably use these chelating
agents to help them extract minerals from the soil. Interestingly,
there
are aerobic micro organisms that use similar cyclic hydroxamic acids
to
scavenge iron. So plants and microbes appear to use the same chelation
strategy to obtain their daily ration of iron. 


The same process is at work when you clean old coins with Vegemite or
cola. The power of chelating agents also explains why the insides of
tomato tins need to be lacquered. 


The citric acid in the tomatoes would dissolve the metal of the
container if the lacquer were not present. Household cleaning agents,
especially detergents and shampoos, also rely on chelation. 


These soften water to make it more effective during the cleaning
process. Chelation has its uses in medicine, too. 

from:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/seta/stories/2003022000210300.htm


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