Additional purification of alkali or alkaline earth salts by using silica gel modified with pyrocatechol violet as a sorbent

Sorption of 14 metal ions on silica gel impregnated with a mixture of Aliquat 336 and Pyrocatechol Violet was investigated. It was found that alkali metals and calcium are not retained on the sorbent, magnesium is retained from solutions of pH > 6, contrary to other metal ions. The sorbent was used for purification of some salts from trace amounts of heavy metals and magnesium. Some metals ion mixtures have also been separated by using column extraction chromatography stepwise elution with perchloric acid solutions.