Iron Extraction with Di(2-Ethylhexyl)dithiophosphoric Acid and a Binary Extractant Based on It

Iron(III) extraction with trioctylmethylammonium di(2-ethylhexyl)dithiophosphate and di(2- ethylhexyl)dithiophosphoric acid was studied. It was shown that di(2-ethylhexyl)dithiophosphoric acid extracts iron in the form of the complex FeA₂, regardless of the oxidation state of iron in the initial aqueous solution. It was also shown that the iron(III) extraction with trioctylmethylammonium di(2-ethylhexyl)dithiophosphate over a wide acidity range occurs primarily to produce extractable substance (R₄N)FeCl₄; and at pH > 1, iron(II) dialkyldithiophosphate is also extracted into the organic phase. It was established that, in a system with a binary extractant, iron can be efficiently stripped from the organic phase with water or diluted solutions of mineral acids.