The first list member to achieve rust repair of his Vanagon using Molassas
please report. :-)

>Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 23:36:48 EDT
>From: LisaDrew@aol.com
>Subject: got a rust problem?
>To: <derekdrew@rcn.com>, <pgloudon@hotmail.com>
>X-Mailer: Unknown (No Version)
>
> From New Scientist magazine:
>
>Sticky solution
>
>  Question
>I have a friend who uses molasses to clean rust off old iron items
>collected from the bush. The rusty iron article is placed in a jar of
>molasses solution (nine parts water, one part molasses) and left for two
>weeks. After this time, the article comes out clean and almost shiny. What
>is happening here?
>
>Answer
>Molasses contains 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 chele, meaning claw. They can envelop metal atoms on
>the surface of an object, trapping them and removing them. Molasses owes
>its properties to cyclic hydroxamic 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 microorganisms 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. EDTA or ethylenediamine
>tetraacetic acid is used as a chelating agent to control levels of calcium
>in the body and can reduce the effects of mercury or lead poisoning.
>
>
>Ben Selinger, Department of Chemistry, Australian National University. Ben
>Selinger is the author of Chemistry in the Marketplace and Why the
>Watermelon will not Ripen in your Armpit (Allen & Unwin)
>
>
>

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