Countercurrent extraction separation of some platinum group metals. part II

Binary mixtures of Pt and Rh, Pt and Ir, Pd and Rh. and Pd and Ir were resolved by a countercurrent extraction technique. The metals were partitioned between an acidic aqueous phase containing potassium thiocyanate and an organic phase, n-tributylphosphate. Distribution coefficients were determined for each metal for a thiocyanate: metal mole ratio of 10 : 1 and 200 : 1 at pH values of 1, 2, 3, and 3.8. Optimum conditions for separations were determined to be a thiocyanate; metal mole ratio of 10 : 1 and a pH of 1. Under these conditions the K_d values tor Pd, Pt, Rh and Ir were 139, 62.3, 0.19 and 0.09 resp. Effective separations were achieved with each binary mixture on a Craig extraction apparatus utilizing less than 10 equilibrium stages. There was a 95% average recovery of each of the metals.