Estimation of trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) diffusion coefficients by dynamic adsorption measurements in model extraction systems

Equilibrium interfacial tension and surface excess isotherms for trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) were determined and interpreted. Despite its high hydrophobicity, TOPO adsorbs at the hydrocarbon/water interfaces and decreases effectively the interfacial tension. The interfacial activity of TOPO is affected by the type of organic diluent and the composition of the aqueous phase, i.e., the kind (HNO(3), KNO(3)) and the concentration of nonorganic electrolyte present in the system. Significant lowering of TOPO interfacial activity is observed with an increase of the aqueous phase acidity. The dynamic interfacial tension for TOPO was measured by using the drop volume technique. With the aid of the Ward and Tordai equation the values of the diffusion coefficients of TOPO were estimated. The values determined were in the right order of magnitude compared with the literature data.