It is widely applied in biochemistry as a calcium-specific chelator in cell lysis buffers electrophoresis and enzyme assays to selectively bind Ca over Mg and in molecular biology for stabilizing proteins during isolation.

Its primary purpose is to sequester calcium ions with high specificity (dissociation constant 10 M for Ca vs. 10 M for Mg at pH 7) preventing calcium-dependent processes like muscle contraction or clotting in experimental systems.

EGTA or ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid is a white crystalline solid chelating agent with the molecular formula C14H24N2O10 and molecular weight of 380.35 gmol featuring a structure that includes an ethylene glycol bridge connecting two nitrogen atoms each bound to two acetate arms for metal coordination.