Separation of ions by alteration of the concentration of the ligand in a discontinuous countercurrent extraction system.
A new technique in Craig-type liquid-liquid, discontinuous, countercurrent solvent extraction was developed. In this, the ligand concentration in the extraction train was altered at several points, causing non-equivalent changes in the extractability of the ions being separated. This allowed quantitative separation of a mixture with a minimum number of transfers, thereby keeping the solvent volume to a minimum. The technique was applied to achieve total or partial separation of a number of elements, using methyl isobutyl ketone as the solvent and hydrochloric acid as the ligand. A computer programme was developed for calculating the distribution of a solute in an extraction train operating under these conditions.
Boswell
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Division of Applied Chemistry, National Research Council, Ottawa, Canada.
Brooks
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