Fractional sublimation of some metal chelates of thenoyltrifluoroacetone

Studies on the fractional sublimation of various metal β-diketone chelates have been extended to include the chelates of thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA). Many of the common metal chelates were found to be stable, to sublime readily, and to form well-defined zones in the vacuum fractional sublimator. Of the 17 chelates reported only those of manganese (II) and iron(II) were not volatile. The chelates of UO₂(II), Zr(IV), Pb(II), and Cr(III) partially decomposed during sublimation and their recovery was incomplete. The recovery of the sublimed chelates of Ni(II), Mg(II), Al(III), Pd(II), Co(II), Cu(II). Fe(III), Tl(III), Zn(II) and Be(II) ranged from 87 to 100%, with most recoveries being quantitative. The sublimation recrystallization zone temperatures of the various chelates are compared to those of the metal acetylacetonates and the benzoyltrifluoroacetonates; in general, the metal chelates of TTA sublime more readily than those of benzoyltrifluoroacetone but are potentially less useful for fractional sublimation separations than the corresponding metal acetylacetonates. Even so, a quantitative separation of iron(III) from Ni(II), Al(III), Mn(II), and Fe(II) is proposed that depends upon the fractional sublimation of the TTA chelates.