Iminodisuccinate is a synthetic, medium-strong, pentadentate member of the aminopolycarboxylate chelator family. It chelates alkaline earth or other heavy metal ions and can substitute for ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid in a variety of applications. The standard synthesis of iminodisuccinate results in a mixture of its three epimers: (R,R)-iminodisuccinate, (S,S)-iminodisuccinate, and the meso (R,S)-iminodisuccinate. Iminodisuccinate degradation is initiated by an epimerase that interconverts the epimers (R,R)-iminodisuccinate, (R,S)-iminodisuccinate, and (S,S)-iminodisuccinate ([http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16934291|Lohkamp et al., 2006]). The carbon-nitrogen bond in (R,S)-iminodisuccinate or (S,S)-iminodisuccinate, but not (R,R)-iminodisuccinate, is cleaved by iminodisuccinate lyase. This nonhydrolytic cleavage of (S,S)-iminodisuccinate produces fumarate and L-aspartate. Cleavage of (R,S)-iminodisuccinate results in D-aspartate and fumarate ([http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15473552|Cokesa et al., 2004]).