A Study of the Third Phase Formation in the Extraction of U(IV) in TBP-HCl System Using Toluene and Kerosene as Diluents

The extraction of U (IV) in TBP – HCl system, using toluene and kerosene as diluents, was studied. When toluene was used, a single organic phase appeared at all hydrochloric acid concentrations. The extracted species at high [HCl] which is 5-8 M could be a mixture of UCl4-TBP and UCl4.3TBP.When kerosene was used at high [HCl] which was 5-8 M , two immiscible organic phases appeared. The experimental results in light organic phase indicated UCl4-TBP as extracted sp ecies while in heavy organic phase, UCl4-TBP was identified, and the UCl4-3TBP was insoluble in kerosene which lead to the formation of third phase