Extraction of rare earth elements with phosphoryl-containing lariat crown ether in the presence of ionic liquids

Interfacial distribution of rare earth elements (REE) La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and Y between aqueous solutions of their nitrates and solutions of the lariat crown ether 1,4,10,13-tetraoxa-7,16-diaza(diphenylphosphinylmethyl)cyclooctadecane in dichloroethane was studied in the presence of the ionic liquids 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide. The stoichiometry of extracted complexes was determined; the effect of HNO₃ concentration in the aqueous phase and the nature of extractant and ionic liquid on the extraction efficiency of REE(III) was considered.