Studies on the extraction behavior of Zr(IV), Ce(III), Th(IV) and U(VI) from aqueous solutions of Arsenazo-I with HDEHP,HTTA, TDA and TCMA

The extraction behavior of Zr(IV), Ce(III), Th(IV) and U(VI) from aqueous solutions containing Arsenazo-I with the organic solvents tridodecylamine (TDA), 1-[thenoyl-(2)]-3-3-3-trifluoroacetone (HTTA), di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP) and tricaprylmethylammonium chloride (TCMA) in xylene has been investigated. Effect of hydrogen ion concentration in the aqueous phase, Arsenazo-I concentration, as well as the effect of solvent concentration on the extraction was studied. Some alternatives for separation of the elements studied were recommended enabling the spectrophotometric determination of these elements using Arsenazo-I without interference.     

Reversed-phase extraction chromatography of Germanium(IV) with tributyl phosphate on silica gel

Germanium(IV) can be separated by reversed-phase extraction chromatography with TBP as stationary phase on a column of silica gel, with 6M hydrochloric acid as the mobile phase, and stripped with various eluents. Germanium can thus be separated (by selective extraction) from those elements which are not extractable with TBP, and (by selective stripping) from elements that are extractable.     

Synthesis of organophosphorus ligands with a central oxygen atom and their applications in solvent extraction

Various structurally related glycolamide compounds were synthesised and evaluated by solvent extraction experiments for the separation of rare earth elements (REEs) from aqueous acid solutions using dodecane as the diluent. We describe herein the full synthesis of a family of bifunctional ligands with a central oxygen and focus our investigation on the effects of structural modification on the extraction efficiencies. The combination of an amide, a PO donor site, and a central oxygen in such a glycolamide ligand showed interesting extraction properties for heavy rare earth elements from phosphoric acid solutions.     

用氯化三烷基甲基铵-甲基异丁基酮从大量铁、铝、钙、镁、钾、钠中分离富集痕量元素的研究

在 KI-Vc-HCl 介质中,用10%氯化三烷基甲基铵-甲基异丁基酮萃取方法可同时富集岩矿土壤中痕量的 Pb、Zn、Cu、Cd、Mo、Bi、Sn,将主量元素 Si、Fe、Al、Ca、Mg、K、Na 分离,确定富集分离的最佳条件,讨论 HNO_3、CH_3COOH-H_2O_2,H_2SO_4-H_2O_2三个反萃体系对痕量元素的反萃作用,探讨萃取及反萃机理。     

Spectrochemical analysis of curium and americium samples

Spectrochemical procedures have been developed to determine impurities in americium and curium samples. The simultaneous separation of many impurity elements from the base material (americium and curium) is carried out with extraction and extraction-chromatographic methods using di(2-ethyl hexyl phosphoric acid (D2EHPA).

It is shown that part of the elements (alkalis, alkaline earths, silicon, tungsten, tantalum and other elements) are separated with extraction or sorption of americium and curium; the other part (rare earths, titanium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum) with the Talspeak process.

Two fractions in the extraction chromatography and three fractions in the extraction separation of americium and curium, containing impurities, are analyzed separately by a.c. or d.c. arc spectrography. To increase the sensitivity of the spectrographic analysis and accelerate the burn-up of impurities from the crater of the carbon electrode bismuth fluoride and sodium chloride were used as chemically active substances. The extraction of impurities from weighed quantities of americium and curium samples of 5–10 mg permits the lower limit of determined impurity concentrations to be extended to 1 × 10⁻⁴–5 × 10⁻³% m/m.     

Solvent extraction separations with bpha. applications to the microanalysis of niobium and zirconium in uranium

A detailed study of the benzoylphenylhydroxylamine (BPHA)-chloroform-hydrochloric acid solvent extraction system with 52 elements is described with emphasis placed on extraction of the easily hydrolyzed transition metals from strong hydrochloric acid. From this study, a separation procedure for hafnium, niobium, tantalum, titanium, vanadium, and zirconium from uranium was developed, and procedures are given for the microanalysis of niobium and zirconium in uranium. Niobium and zirconium are separated from uranium by extraction into BPHA-chloroform from 10-N HCl.The separated elements are then measured colorimetrically as the niobium-4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol and zirconium-arsenazo III complexes. The limit of detection is 1 μg/g U.     

Solvent extraction of Au(III) for preparation of a carrier-free multitracer and an Au tracer from an Au target

Separation of Au(III) and various carrier-free radionuclides by solvent extraction was investigated using an Au target irradiated by an energetic heavy-ion beam. Percentage extraction of Au(III) and coextraction of the radionuclides were determined with varying parameters such as kinds of solvent, molarity of HCl or pH, and Au concentration. Under the conditions where Au(III) was effectively extracted, namely extraction with ethyl acetate or isobutyl methyl ketone from 3 mol·dm^–3 HCl, carrier-free radionuclides of many elements were found to be more or less coextracted. Coextraction of radionuclides of some elements was found to increase with an increase in the concentration of Au(III). This finding is ascribed to the formation of strong association of the complex of these elements with chloroauric acid. In order to avoid serious loss of these elements by the extraction, lowering of the Au(III) concentration or the use of a masking agent such as sodium citrate is necessary. Gold(III) was shown to be effectively back extracted with a 0.1 mol·dm^–3 aqueous solution of 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol. Thus, a radiochemical procedure has been established for preparing a carrier-free multitracer and an Au tracer with carrier form from an Au target irradiated with a heavy-ion beam. Both tracers are now used individually for chemical and biological experiments.     

Comparison and evaluation of cloud point extraction and low-temperature directed crystallization as preconcentration tools for the determination of trace elements in environmental samples

A comparative study between cloud point extraction (CPE) and low-temperature directed crystallization (LTDC) is presented. Trace elements (Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni and Fe) were preconcentrated by both methods from model and natural water samples and the results were evaluated with respect to extraction efficiency, accuracy, precision, sample throughput and interferences. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) were used for the final measurements. The results indicate that these extraction and preconcentration procedures ensure the required accuracy and precision for the reliable identification and quantification of trace elements in natural waters. Drawbacks of each method identified can further assist the analyst towards a better application of each method depending on the target species, the detector employed and the application intended (routine analysis, trace analysis, speciation analysis, etc.).     

Unprecedented Inversion of Selectivity and Extraordinary Difference in the Complexation of Trivalent f Elements by Diastereomers of a Methylated Diglycolamide

When considering f elements, solvent extraction is primarily used for the removal of lanthanides from ore and their recycling, as well as for the separation of actinides from used nuclear fuel. Understanding the complexation mechanism of metal ions with organic extractants, particularly the influence of their molecular structure on complex formation is of fundamental importance. Herein, we report an extraordinary (up to two orders of magnitude) change in the extraction efficiency of f elements with two diastereomers of dimethyl tetraoctyl diglycolamide (Me₂-TODGA), which only differ in the orientation of a single methyl group. Solvent extraction techniques, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements, and density functional theory (DFT) based ab initio calculations were used to understand their complex structures and to explain their complexation mechanism. We show that the huge differences observed in extraction selectivity results from a small change in the complexation of nitrate counter-ions caused by the different orientation of one methyl group in the backbone of the extractant. The obtained results give a significant new insight into metal–ligand complexation mechanisms, which will promote the development of more efficient separation techniques.     

Extraction separation of rare-earth ions via competitive ligand complexations between aqueous and ionic-liquid phases

The extraction separation of rare earth elements is one of the most challenging separation processes in hydrometallurgy and advanced nuclear fuel cycles. The TALSPEAK process (trivalent actinide lanthanide separations by phosphorus-reagent extraction from aqueous komplexes) is a prime example of these separation processes. The objective of this paper is to explore the use of ionic liquids (ILs) for the TALSPEAK-like process, to further enhance its extraction efficiencies for lanthanides, and to investigate the potential of using this modified TALSPEAK process for separation of lanthanides among themselves. Eight imidazolium ILs ([C(n)mim][NTf(2)] and [C(n)mim][BETI], n = 4,6,8,10) and one pyrrolidinium IL ([C(4)mPy][NTf(2)]) were investigated as diluents using di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP) as an extractant for the separation of lanthanide ions from aqueous solutions of 50 mM glycolic acid or citric acid and 5 mM diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA). The extraction efficiencies were studied in comparison with diisopropylbenzene (DIPB), an organic solvent used as a diluent for the conventional TALSPEAK extraction system. Excellent extraction efficiencies and selectivities were found for a number of lanthanide ions using HDEHP as an extractant in these ILs. The effects of different alkyl chain lengths in the cations of ILs and of different anions on extraction efficiencies and selectivities of lanthanide ions are also presented in this paper.     

Extraction of plutonium from sulphuric acid by TOA in toluene

The extraction of plutonium(VI) and plutonium(III) from sulphuric acid by TOA in toluene has been studied as a function of the acid and tri-octyl amine concentration. A comparison of the extraction properties of plutonium with those of uranium(VI) and uranium(IV) has been made. It was found that the extraction properties of plutonium(VI) are very similar to those of uranium(VI) and that TOA is a relatively poor extractant for plutonium(III). Uranium(IV) shows better extraction properties than plutonium(III). The results obtained are considered in the light of the stabilities of the complexes formed by these elements in the organic and aqueous phase. A method of separation of both elements by solvent extraction based on changing their oxidation states is suggested.     

Synergistic effect of tri-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-butyl phosphate (TBP) or tri-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-octyl phosphine oxide (TOPO) with didodecylphosphoric acid (HDDPA) on extraction of uranium(VI) and thorium(IV) ions

Importance of removal of radioactive elements from wastewater was the motivation behind this work. Synergistic solvent extraction of U(VI) and Th(IV) ions from perchlorate solution using didodecylphosphoric acid (HDDPA) incorporated with tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) or tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) as a synergists have been studied for the first time. The effects of HDDPA concentration, synergist’s concentration, pH values and temperature on the extraction process have been studied. The thermodynamic parameters of the extraction process for these ions were calculated. It was found that the synergistic contribution of TOPO is higher than TBP in the extraction of Th(IV) and U(VI).     

X-ray fluorescence determination of lanthanum,cerium, praseodymium,and neodymium in technological solutions after preconcentration on DETATA cellulose filters

Sorption of some rare earth elements on filters with immobilized diethylenetriaminetetraacetate (DETATA) groups was studied. It was shown that the elements are quantitatively extracted from solutions with volume of 20–500 mL at pH values ranging between 3.5 and 5.5 and a flow rate from 1 to 8 mL/min. It was proposed to use masking agents such as sulfosalicylic acid and 1,10-phenanthroline for extracting elements from iron-containing solutions. The elements were determined directly on filters by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The calibration dependences were shown to be linear in the concentration range from 2 to 100 μg of rare earth element per filter. The limits of detection of La, Ce, Pr, and Nd calculated on the basis of the 3s criterion in the case of extraction from 100 mL solutions were 0.03, 0.03, 0.01 and 0.01 μg/mL, respectively.     

Comparison of aqua regia and HNO3-H2O2 procedures for extraction of Tl and some other elements from soils

The relationship between aqua regia (ISO 11466) and HNO(3)-H(2)O(2) (ISO/CD 20279) extraction procedures for atomic emission spectrometric (ICP/OES and ICP/MS) determinations of Tl, P, Mn, Fe, Mg, Ca, Sr, Al, K, As, Bi, Zn, Pb, Co, Cd, Ni, V, Be, Cu and Cr was investigated. Soil samples (155) representing areas with different contents of the elements were selected for the comparison. Tl was the element of the highest interest and therefore the sampling sites were chosen to achieve as wide range of Tl contents as possible. Both extraction procedures are comparable in results (differences lower than 10% for the most of the elements) for all the tested elements. Statistically non-significant differences between the two extraction procedures were found for P, Zn, V and K (the slope was very close to 1 and the intercept included zero). Statistically significant values of intercepts were found for Fe, Al, Ca, Cd, Sr and Ni. Significantly higher results for aqua regia were found for Cu (12%), Pb (17%), Mn (11%) and lower results by aqua regia were found for Mg (4%), As (13%), Co (20%), Be (11%), Cr (4%) and Bi (6%). The results for Tl, the element of the highest interest, after HNO(3)-H(2)O(2) extraction procedure, were approximately 6% higher than the results after aqua regia extraction. Content of Tl in the soil samples was from 0.08 to 2.8 mg kg(-1). A highly significant linear relationship was found (R(2)=0.97).     

Multielement determination and speciation of major-to-trace elements in black tea leaves by ICP-AES and ICP-MS with the aid of size exclusion chromatography.

A multielement determination of major-to-trace elements in black tea leaves and their tea infusions was carried out by ICP-AES (inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry) and ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry). Tea infusions were prepared as usual tea beverage by brewing black tea leaves in boiling water for 5 min. About 40 elements in tea leaves and tea infusions could be determined over the wide concentration range in 8 orders of magnitude. The extraction efficiency of each element was estimated as the ratio of its concentration in tea infusions to that in tea leaves. From the experimental results for the extraction efficiencies, the elements in black tea leaves were classified into three characteristic groups: (i) highly-extractable elements (>55%): Na, K, Co, Ni, Rb, Cs and Tl, (ii) moderately-extractable elements (20-55%): Mg, Al, P, Mn and Zn, and (iii) poorly-extractable elements (<20%): Ca, Fe, Cu, Sr, Y, Zr, Mo, Sn, Ba and lanthanoid elements. Furthermore, speciation of major-to-trace elements in tea infusions was performed by using a combined system of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and ICP-MS (or ICP-AES). As a result, many diverse elements were found to be present as complexes associated with large organic molecules in tea infusions.     

Use of tetracycline as complexing agent in radiochemical separations

The use of the antibiotic agent tetracycline for analytical purposes in solvent extraction procedures is presented. Individual extraction curves for the lanthanides, zinc, scandium, uranium, thorium, neptunium and protactinium were obtained. Separation of those elements one from another, and of uranium from selenium, bromine, antimony, barium, tantalum and tungsten was carried out. In all cases benzyl alcohol was the diluent used to dissolve tetracycline hydrochloride. Sodium chloride was used as supporting electrolyte for the lanthanide separations and sodium perchlorate for the other elements mentioned. Stability or formation constants for the lanthanide complexes as well as for thorium complex with tetracycline were determined by using the methods of average number of ligands, the limiting value (for thorium), the two parameters and the weighted least squares. For the lanthanides, the stability constants of the complexes Ln(TC)₃ go from 9.35±0.22 for lanthanum up to 10.84±0.11 for lutetium. For the Th(TC)₄ complex the formation constant is equal to 24.6±0.3. Radioisotopes of the respective elements were used for the determinations. When more than one radioelement was present in an experiment, a multichannel analyser coupled to Ge(Li) or NaI(Tl) detectors was used for counting the activities. When only one radioisotope was used, counting of the radioisotopes was made with a single-channel analyser (integral mode counting) coupled to a NaI(Tl) detector. Uranium was determined by activation analysis (epithermal neutrons). Radioisotopes of the elements were obtained by irradiation in the IPEN swimming-pool reactor. The natural radioisotope^{2 3 4}Th was used as label in the thorium experiments. In some separation procedures such as in the case of the pair uranium-neptunium, and of the pair scandium-zinc, the separation was obtained by properly adjusting the pH value of the aqueous phases, before the extraction operation. In other cases, addition of masking agents to the extraction system was required in order to perform the separation between the elements under study. In this way ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was used as masking agent for scandium and the lanthanides in order to allow separation of uranium from those elements. Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) was used as masking agent for thorium in order to extract uranium into the organic phase. Separations of protactinium from thorium, and of uranium from protactinium and thorium, were accomplished by using sodium fluoride as masking agent for protactinium and DPTA as masking agent for thorium and protactinium at the same time. In the case of the separation of the lanthanides one from another it is necessary to resort to a multi-stage extraction procedure since the stability constants for those elements are too close.     

2-乙基己基膦酸单(2-乙基己基)酯(HEH[EHP])萃取稀土元素机理的研究Ⅰ.稀土元素(Ⅲ)在HNO3-H2O-HEH[EHP]体系中的分配及温度和溶剂效应

本文研究了HEH[EHP]的正己烷溶液在不同浓度(0—11M)的硝酸介质中萃取稀土元素(Ⅲ)的平衡规律。借助IR、NMR测定和斜率法研究了不同硝酸浓度下的萃取平衡反应,计算了不同萃取机理的浓度平衡常数。研究了温度和溶剂对萃取平衡的影响,测定了不同硝酸浓度和温度下各相邻元素对的分离因数,计算了萃取平衡反应的焓变值△H、相对自由能变化值△Z_z以及相对熵变值△S_z,并考察了这些热力学函数随原子序数的递变规律。     

Liquid extraction of some rare earth elements with aminomethylphosphine oxides

Methods were developed of the solvent extraction from aqueous solutions of hydrochloric, nitric, and perchloric acids of the triply charged ions of rare earth elements including samarium, lutetium, dysprosium, neodymium, and ytterbium, using as reagents the lipophilic aminomethylphosphine oxides containing two or four dialkylphosphinyl groups, and toluene, chloroform, and methylene chloride as the organic media. The study of the effect of concentration of mineral acids on the degree of metal extraction showed that the highest extraction efficiency of lanthanides is achieved with bis(dihexylphosphinylmethyl)octylamine (I) from perchloric media: extraction degree 80%, whereas extraction from the solutions in two other acids did not exceed 30%. It was shown that the highest selectivity was reached at the extraction of scandium in all the extraction systems. A possible mechanism of extraction is discussed.     

Extraction of group VIII elements with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoroacetyl-pyrazolone-5

The extraction of group VIII elements with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-trifluoracetyl-pyrazolone-5 from aqueous solutions in chloroform has been studied as a function of pH. Fe(III), Ni(II), Pd(II) and Rh(III) show partial extraction whereas Co(II) is extracted quantitatively. The effect of citrate, cyanide, fluoride, iodide, thiosulphate and thiourea on the extraction of metal ions has been investigated. Back-extraction studies were carried out to strip metal ions from organic phase into appropriate aqueous solutions. Based on these findings some useful analytical separations have been proposed and a few of their possible applications have been discussed.     

An effective process for the separation of U(VI), Th(IV) from rare earth elements by using ionic liquid Cyphos IL 104

Separation and recovery of U(VI) and Th(IV) from rare earth minerals is a very challenging work in rare earth industrial production. In the present study, a homemade membrane emulsification circulation (MEC) extractor was used to separate U(VI) and Th(IV) from rare earth elements by using Cyphos IL 104 as an extractant. Batch experiments were carried out using a constant temperature oscillator to investigate the extraction parameters of the single element and the results indicated that Cyphos IL 104 could reach the extraction equilibrium within 30 min for all the three elements, i.e., U(VI), Th(IV), and Eu(III). Besides, the MEC extractor possessed a strong phase separation ability. The extraction efficiencies of U(VI), Th(IV), La(III), Eu(III) and Yb (III) increased with the increase of pH. La(III), Eu(III) and Yb(III) were hardly extracted when pH ≤ 1.50, which was beneficial for effectively separating U(VI) and Th(IV) from La(III), Eu(III) and Yb(III). In the multi-stages stripping experiments, when the stripping stage number was 3, the effective separation could be achieved by using HCl and H₂SO₄, since the stripping efficiency reached 80.0% and 100.0% for Th(IV) and U(VI), respectively. Slope method and FT-IR spectra showed that Cyphos IL 104 reacted with U(VI) and Th(IV) by chelation mechanism. The extraction of multi-elements indicated that U(VI) and Th(IV) could be well separated from the solution which contains all rare earth elements, and the extraction efficiencies of U(VI) and Th(IV) both were close to 100.0%. Based on the above experimental results, a flowchart for efficient separation of U(VI) and Th(IV) from rare earth elements was proposed.