What exactly is chelation and is there an organic means of it.

I always here about how chelated zinc and iron are made available to the plant much quicker then when they are in sulfate form. My question is what exactly is chelation, and is there a way to "chelate" nutrients organically. Thanks

ima pull up a chair. i wanna know this too.

chelation is a bonding of... microbes make a chelative water pigments for chlorophylthat nutrients bond to so plant can absorb easier....at least thats how i understand it....peace

i was going to google it for you, because that's the easiest way to find out these days. but the def is long and precise. quick and dirty def is a substance that makes it possible for nutrients to be absorbed outside of their usual pH range.

wiki bitch lol



Chelation is the formation or presence of two or more separate coordinate bonds between a polydentate (multiple bonded) ligand and a single central atom.[SUP][1][/SUP] Usually these ligands are organic compounds, and are called chelants, chelators, chelating agents, or sequestering agents.
The ligand forms a chelate complex with the substrate. Chelate complexes are contrasted with coordination complexes composed of monodentate ligands, which form only one bond with the central atom.
Chelants, according to ASTM-A-380, are "chemicals that form soluble, complex molecules with certain metal ions, inactivating the ions so that they cannot normally react with other elements or ions to produce precipitates or scale."
The word chelation is derived from Greek χηλή, chelè, meaning claw; the ligands lie around the central atom like the claws of a lobster.

hmm. thats a lot to digest. thanks for the replies.

The term ‘chelate’ has a specific meaning in chemistry. The definition agreed by the “International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry” (IUPAC) is that a chelate must have 2 or more bonds to the central metal atom.
These bonds are 3-dimensional as shown in the diagram in the section “What is a chelate” in this website: It is this 3-dimensional fact that makes the bonds strong, leading to high molecular stability in the chelated compound.
The concept of ‘tightly held’ (as in a ‘crab claw&#8217 was the reason for the choice of the word “chelate”, based on the Greek word “chela” meaning ‘resembling a crab’. Chelates are found extensively in nature. For example, the haemoglobin in blood is a chelate of iron: The chlorophyll giving leaves their green colour is a chelate of magnesium.

Taken from this website: http://www.alphachelates.com.au/faq.htm