Novel enhancement effect of a proton donor on chelate extraction: Extraction of iron(III) with acetylacetone and 3,5-dichlorophenol

Effect of 3,5-dichlorophenol (DCP) on the extraction of Fe(III) with acetylacetone (Hacac) in nonpolar organic solvents has been studied. It is found that a mixture of Hacac and DCP in heptane gives much higher extraction of Fe(III) than Hacac alone. Such novel enhancement effect is ascribable to the association of tris(acetylacetonato)iron(III) Fe(acac)₃] with DCP in the organic phase by hydrogen bonding. Association of Hacac with DCP has also been investigated and the intrinsic extraction equilibrium of Fe(III) is analyzed by using the equilibrium concentration of free Hacac and DCP. The association complexes are found to be Fe(acac)₃ · n DCP (n=1, 2, 3) in heptane, and the overall association constants (_{ass, n}) are determined to be log _{ass, 1} = 3.41, log _{ass, 2}, = 5.97 and log _{ass, 3}, = 7.50.