Application of 4,4,4-Trifluoro-1-(Biphenyl-4-yl)Butane-1,3- Dione as a Chelating Extractant in the Solvent Extraction and Separation of Light Lanthanoids in Combination with Phosphine Oxides

The 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(biphenyl-4-yl)butane-1,3-dione(HL) has been synthesized and its complexation properties in solution was examined. Mixed ligand chelate extraction of light trivalent lanthanoids (La÷Gd) from chloride medium at constant ionic strength μ = 0.1 into C6H6 with HL in combination with one of the three phosphine oxide compounds trioctylphosphine oxide(TOPO), tributylphosphine oxide(TBPO) or triphenyphosphine oxide(TPPO) was studied. The composition of the extracted species was established as LnL3 with HL alone and as LnL3 2S in the presence of TOPO and TBPO or LnL3 S with the mixture of HL–TPPO. The 28 values of the overall equilibrium constants were calculated. A synergic effect up to 103–104 was observed for the extraction of the above-mentioned lanthanoid ions with binary mixtures of extractants. The change of the synergistic agent causes a significant increase of the KL,S values in the order TBPO < TPPO < TOPO. The parameters of the extraction process were determined and the separation factors between two adjacent Ln(III) were calculated.