Extraction and separation of uranium and lead with liquid anion-exchangers

A method is proposed for the extraction and separation of microgram amounts of uranium(VI) and lead(II) from sodium salicylate solution with high molecular-weight amines such as Aliquat 336, TOA, TIOA, Amberlite LA-1 or Amberlite LA-2 dissolved in xylene. From a critical study of pH, salicylate concentration, amine concentration, diluent and period of equilibration, the optimum conditions were identified. The method permits separation of uranium and lead from binary mixtures with metal ions commonly associated with them, the determination of uranium, and of lead in air samples.