Zirconium arsenophosphate as an ion exchanger

Zirconium arsenophosphate (ZAP) a new inorganic ion exchanger has been synthesized under varying conditions of precipitation. The material possesses good chemical and thermal stabilities and regeneration power. It shows no breakdown on irradiation with a gamma dose of ～10⁹ rad. ZAP shows high affinity for univalent ions like Rb⁺, Ag⁺ and Tl⁺. The Kd-values have been determined for a number of metal ions from acid media. The stoichiometry of metal ion uptake was checked using almost carrier-free radiotracers. Sixteen binary/ternary separations of metal ions are reported on a ZAP column.