Analysis of the Interaction between Organophosphorus Acid and Tertiary Amine Extractants in the Binary Mixtures by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR)

摘要

In the synergistic solvent extraction of rare earth elements by binary mixtures of organophosphorus acid and tertiary amine extractants, the extraction reaction depends on the nature and strength of the interaction between the two extractants in the mixtures. In order to correlate qualitatively the interaction in different mixtures, the FT-IR spectra for organophosphorus acid (D2EHPA, PC88A, and Cyanex 272) and tertiary amine (Alamine 336 and TEHA) extractants and their mixtures have been analyzed. The primary focus was on investigating the changes in the characteristic functional groups of acidic and amine extractants in the binary mixtures as the strength and concentration of these extractants varied. IR spectroscopy of the organics confirmed the interaction in the binary mixtures, and strength of the interaction increased with the increase in the acidity of acidic extractant and the basicity of the amine extractant.