Selective extraction of Th(IV) over U(VI) and other co-existing ions using eosin B-impregnated Amberlite IRA-410 resin beads

A new chelating polymeric sorbent as an extractant impregnated resin (EIR) has been developed using eosin B and Amberlite IRA-410 resin. The impregnation process was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy. The eosin B-impregnated resin showed superior binding affinity for Th(IV) over U(VI) and many co-existing ions. The influence of various physicochemical parameters on the recovery of Th(IV) were optimized by both static and dynamic methods. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm gave a satisfactory fit of the equilibrium data. The kinetic studies performed for Th(IV) sorption revealed that <20 min was sufficient for reaching equilibrium metal ion sorption. A preconcentration factor of 100 was found for the column-mode extraction. The accuracy of the developed method in conjunction with Arsenazo III procedure was tested by analyzing geological reference materials and seawater sample, which are prepared, synthetically. Furthermore, the above procedure has been successfully employed for the analysis of natural water samples.