Precipitation of metal 8-hydroxyquinolates from homogeneous solution—II Thorium

A comparison has been made of the precipitation of thorium with 8-hydroxyquinoline by the direct method of addition of reagent and by precipitation from homogeneous solution by generation of the reagent from 8-acetoxyquinoline. The latter reagent produces a thorium precipitate with superior physical characteristics. Separation studies using cerium^III as a diverse ion also indicate the superiority of the method using 8-acetoxyquinoline. Further studies of thorium 8-hydroxyquinolate, precipitated by either method, indicate that ignition to thorium oxide is a reliable way to conclude the determination. Methods involving weighing or brominating the 8-hydroxyquinolate generally furnish erroneous results.