Final answer:
EDTA is an anticoagulant that removes calcium ions and is good for preparing blood smears by preventing platelet clumping and artifact formation. correct answer is c) Blood smears.
Step-by-step explanation:
The anticoagulant additive EDTA is effective in removing calcium to prevent coagulation, which is essential for preparing blood smears for diagnostic purposes.
EDTA binds with calcium ions to form insoluble or un-ionized salts, thus preventing the calcium from participating in the coagulation process. Calcium plays a pivotal role in blood coagulation, as it activates the enzymatic conversion of prothrombin into thrombin and the production of thromboplastin. EDTA's ability to prevent coagulation is beneficial in creating blood smears where the morphology of cells including platelets should be preserved and not clumped, which can be critical in various diagnostic tests. The integrity of the blood cells is preserved, and these smears can be used to conduct a range of hematological analyses.
Since EDTA also prevents the formation of artifacts in blood samples, it is not ideal for preparing serum samples that require coagulation. Therefore, EDTA-treated tubes are typically used when the analysis of blood cells, particularly in the form of blood smears, is required.