Retention of Some Metal Ions and Their Separation on Silica Gel Modified with Acid Red 88

 Acid Red 88 is strongly extracted by chloroform solutions of Aliquat 336 by an ion exchange mechanism and for its reextraction from the ion pair formed, relatively high concentrations of mineral acids are required. By impregnation of silica with the ion pairs between the cation of Aliquat 336 and the anion of the dye a chelating sorbent for metal ions can be obtained. The sorbent prepared may be successfully used for separation of mixtures of various metal ions by the column extraction chromatography technique, additional purification of sodium and potassium salts from ions of heavy metals and for concentration of trace amounts of ions of various metals from aqueous solutions followed by their quantitative determination. The sorbent can be used repeatedly in the process of sorption and desorption of metal ions (especially those forming less stable complexes with the reagent) after regeneration with solutions of perchloric acid. Received January 28, 1998. Revision March 1, 1999.