Selective extraction of gallium from aluminum and indium using tripod phenolic ligands

Solvent extraction of trivalent group 13 metal cations such as aluminum, gallium and indium with tripod quadridentate phenolic ligand, tris(2-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylbenzyl)amine (H3tdmba), was investigated as fundamental study for their mutual separation. Gallium was extracted almost quantitatively as Ga(tdmba) (log Kex=−6.66±0.06 on using chloroform as extraction solvent), whereas aluminum and indium were hardly extracted due to steric hindrance on complexation of them with the ligand. The extracted Ga species was estimated as trigonal bipyramidal complex with one H2O molecule. Furthermore, extractability of Ga was increased by changing the ligand to more acidic tris(5-chloro-2-hydroxy-3-methylbenzyl)amine (H3tcmba) (log Kex=−6.18±0.18 on using dichloroethane as extraction solvent).