EDTP is a water-miscible amine intermediate supplied as a colourless, transparent liquid in two assay grades, 75% and 98%. Its chemical name is N,N,N'N'-tetra(2-hydropropyl)ethylene diamine, and the four hydroxypropyl arms on the ethylene diamine backbone are what let one molecule both hold metal ions in a bath and react into a polymer or an admixture system.
In a plating shop the main job is complexing. Zinc and nickel have to be held at a controlled availability so that they co-deposit in the ratio the coating specification calls for, and a complexant that drifts takes the bright range and the deposit colour with it. That is why the material is bought for zinc nickel plating and for electroless copper lines, where the same control decides deposition rate and thickness uniformity across a panel.
Outside the tank it also serves polymer, rubber, plastics and construction chemistries, so buyers sourcing coating production chemicals often keep it as a single line item that covers several departments at once.
Both grades dissolve completely in water and give an alkaline solution, so they charge into aqueous systems without a solubiliser. Whether the material goes into a metal plating process or an admixture reactor, the grade is chosen from how the rest of the system is built and how much water it can tolerate.
| Chemical name | N,N,N'N'-tetra(2-hydropropyl)ethylene diamine |
| Trade name | EDTP |
| CAS No. | 102-60-3 |
| EINECS No. | 203-041-4 |
| Molecular formula | C14H32N2O4 |
| Molecular weight | 292.41 |
| Appearance | Colorless and transparent liquid |
| Assay | 75%,98% |
| Density at 20 °C | 1.04–1.06 g/cm³ |
| Refractive index at 20 °C | 1.4470–1.4570 |
| pH value | 7.5-8.5 |
| Solubility in water | Miscible in all proportions |
| Aqueous solution | Alkaline |
In zinc-nickel work the complexant is the part of the bath that decides how the two metals arrive at the cathode together. Hold the ions too loosely and zinc and nickel compete unevenly across the current density range; hold them too tightly and deposition slows and coverage at the low-current end suffers. The space between those two failures is narrow, which is why the specification of the complexant counts as much as its chemistry.
EDTP mixes with water in all proportions, so it charges without a carrier solvent and stays in solution through the bath. Its own aqueous solution sits at pH 7.5–8.5, and its density and refractive index are published as windows rather than single figures, which means a new drum can be compared with the last one before it goes into the tank. In zinc nickel plating that consistency is what keeps the alloy ratio and the deposit colour repeatable from lot to lot.
Grade and addition level belong to the bath, not to the product. Baths differ in metal concentration, pH, temperature and the current density range they work over, and one intermediate can be asked to do different work in each. Send the bath make-up, the substrate and the current density range and we will confirm which grade fits and what to watch in the first production run. That is a more reliable route than taking a generic figure and applying it to a metal plating process it was never written for.
The molecule does two different chemical jobs at once, and that is why it travels across industries. Through its nitrogen donors it chelates metal ions — the plating function, in a zinc-nickel bath or in electroless copper plating. Through its four hydroxyl groups it can react into a polymer network, which is the crosslinking, antistatic and stabilising function.
Practically, one CAS covers four needs for anyone buying coating production chemicals: a metal complexing agent, a crosslinking agent for rubber and polyurethane, an antistatic agent and a stabiliser for synthetic plastics. Each buyer reads the specification differently. A bath builder cares about assay and the absence of colour; a compounder cares about reactivity and how much water the grade brings with it; an admixture plant cares about active content per charge.
For formulators who build coating chemicals into their own products, that breadth is useful and it also means the end use has to be stated early. The grade recommendation, the documents that matter and the way the material is handled all follow from where it is going.
Construction admixture producers use EDTP as a raw material for concrete water-reducing admixtures. It is an intermediate that goes into the synthesis, not a ready-mixed admixture dosed at the mixer, and that distinction is worth keeping in mind when offers are compared: what is supplied here is a defined chemical, and the admixture performance is built around it by the formulator.
Water solubility is the practical advantage at the reactor. The material charges into an aqueous system without a solvent carrier, and because the charge is usually calculated on active content, a defined assay is what keeps a batch of admixture on specification. The 98% grade carries less water into the reactor than the 75% grade, which matters where the water balance of the finished product is tight.
Anyone sourcing it for construction work should settle two things first: which grade the existing formulation was built on, and whether the material has to be declared in the market where the admixture will be sold.
We publish the specification as ranges rather than single figures: density 1.04–1.06 g/cm³ at 20 °C, refractive index 1.4470–1.4570 at 20 °C, pH 7.5–8.5 and an assay of 75% or 98%. A range is the honest way to describe a production material; what matters is that a drum sits inside it and that the next drum sits in the same place.
Those figures also work as a bench tool. Density and refractive index together give a fast fingerprint that will flag a mislabelled drum or a diluted sample before anyone runs a titration, and the pH of the aqueous solution confirms the alkaline character your formulation expects. Check appearance first: the liquid should be colourless and transparent, and any haze or colour shift is worth a question before the drum is charged.
When you buy plating chemicals from more than one supplier, the practical value of a published range is that it can be checked on arrival against your own method. That turns a specification discussion into a measurement, which is a shorter conversation for everybody.
| Payment | 100% T/T in advance |
| Minimum order quantity | Varies by chemical; confirmed with our sales team per order |
| Lead time | 2 weeks |
| Packing | 10 kg/box; 25 kg or 50 kg/bag; 20 kg, 25 kg, 30 kg or 200 kg/drum; 1,000 kg/IBC drum |
| Shipping | Per the terms agreed in the current contract |
| Warranty | Inspection certificate issued after delivery stating the batch number and warranty period |
This piece is chosen for everyday use rather than display only, so it suits more than one kind of setting. Most buyers place it at home, in living areas, kitchens and workspaces where it is reached for often and handled daily. It also works well in commercial spaces such as shops, cafés, studios and offices that want one consistent look across several rooms or service points. Buyers preparing gifts, events or seasonal promotions often take it in a single style across a whole run so the set looks uniform. Tell us the setting you have in mind and how often it will be used, and we will confirm the size, finish and packing that suit the application.
Choosing the right match is where most sourcing decisions stall. As a trading supplier, we keep one point of contact from first enquiry to after-sales: tell us what you are making and the conditions you work under, and we shortlist the closest matches from our supplier network, compare specifications and arrange samples before you commit to a bulk order. If something does not behave as expected, we work with the supplying partner on the cause and a practical fix, and stay with the case until it is settled. Email, WeChat or WhatsApp enquiries get a reply within 24 hours.
It is bought mainly as a metal complexing agent: it holds zinc and nickel ions in an alloy bath and copper ions in electroless copper systems, where its job is to keep the metal available to the surface at a controlled rate. The same molecule serves several other manufacturing sectors, so plating is the largest single use but not the only reason a buyer sources it.
It controls how available the zinc and nickel ions are at the cathode, which is what allows the two metals to deposit together in the ratio the coating specification asks for. When that control drifts, the first symptoms are usually a narrower bright range and a shift in deposit colour, followed by weaker coverage at low current density. Because the right level depends on metal concentration, pH, temperature and current density range, we confirm the grade and a starting point from your bath data rather than publishing one figure for every bath.
In electroless copper plating the complexant keeps copper ions available to the work surface instead of letting the bath decompose or deposit where it should not. That balance governs bath life, deposition rate and how evenly the copper builds across a panel, so it is a thickness-control decision as much as a stability one. On a board line the same material is also used in flux and cleaning formulations, which means one purchase can cover more than one step.
The chemistry is the same; the difference is how much active content a drum delivers and how much water arrives with it. Both grades are colourless, transparent liquids that mix with water in all proportions. The 98% grade carries less water into a formulation, which matters where the water balance is tight or the batch size is fixed, while the 75% grade is often the easier material to charge where a formulation was built around a diluted grade. Confirm which grade your existing specification was written against before switching.
Yes. It moves through the same distribution channels as other coating chemicals and is supplied internationally to plating shops, compounders and admixture producers, so it can be bought directly or through a distributor serving your market. If you buy through a distributor, confirm which grade they hold against your own specification rather than assuming it matches the last delivery.
It contributes to how repeatable a coating operation is rather than to how it looks on the day. In a plating bath it keeps metal availability steady, which underpins adhesion, thickness uniformity and colour from lot to lot; in a formulation it is a defined, water-miscible liquid that charges without a solubiliser. For a coated line, that is usually the difference between a bath that holds its window and one that needs constant correction.
The addition level belongs to the bath or the formulation, not to the product, which is why we do not publish a single figure. Metal concentration, pH, temperature, current density range and the other additives all move it. Send the bath make-up, the substrate and the current density range you work over, and we will confirm a starting point for your system; verify it on a test panel before it goes into production.
