Spectrophotometric determination of tellurium in concentrates and brasses by chloroform extraction of the tellurium (IV) hexabromide-diantipyrylmethane complex after separations by iron collection and xanthate extraction

A method for determining 0.0001–0.10% of tellurium in copper, nickel, molybdenum, lead and zinc concentrates is described. After sample decomposition, tellurium is separated from most of the matrix elements by co-precipitation with hydrous ferric oxide from an ammoniacal medium. After reprecipitation of tellurium and iron, the precipitate is dissolved in 12M hydrochloric acid, tellurium(VI) is reduced to the quadrivalent state by heating, and separated from iron, lead and other co-precipitated elements by chloroform extraction of its xanthate. The yellow ion-association complex formed between tellurium(IV) hexabromide and diantipyrylmethane is extracted into chloroform from a 2M sulphuric acid-0.6M potassium bromide medium. The molar absorptivity of the complex is 1.82 × 10³ l.mole⁻¹.mm⁻¹ at 336 nm, the wavelength of maximum absorption. Small amounts of iron, copper and molybdenum are co-extracted as xanthates under the proposed conditions but do not cause error in the result. Interference from antimony, which is co-extracted as the chloro-complex, is eliminated by washing the extract with water. The proposed method is also applicable to brasses.