Liquid-liquid extraction of zirconium from hafnium and other elements with dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6

Zirconium was quantitatively extracted with 2.5 × 10^?2 M dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 in dichloromethane from 8.5 M hydrochloric acid. It was stripped with 0.5 M hydrochloric acid and was determined spectrophotometrically as its complex with Arsenazo III. Hafnium was not extracted under these conditions, but from the residual aqueous phase it was extracted with 7.0 × 10^?2 M dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 in dichloromethane from 9.0 M hydrochloric acid. It was stripped with 0.1 M perchloric acid and determined spectrophotometrically at 540 nm as its complex with xylenol orange. The separation of zirconium and hafnium from other metals is also described.