Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tetrasodium salt trihydrate is a powerful chelating agent widely used in scientific research. It has a high affinity effect on metal ions, binding to them and extracting them from solution. It also helps in pollution monitoring by extracting heavy metal ions from environmental samples. The process involves the tetrasodium salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, the hydrate binds to metal ions and forms stable complexes which can then be eliminated from solution, effectively removing the target metal ions.