Study of the Kinetics of Copper Extraction with (anti)-2-Hydroxy-5-nonylbenzophenone Oxime Using a Rotating Diffusion Cell

Abstract

A rotating diffusion cell was used to study the chemical reaction in which copper is transferred from an aqueous sulfate phase to an organic phase containing a copper-complexing agent (purified anti-2-hydroxy-5-nonylbenzo-phenone oxime) dissolved in n-decane. A mathematical model was developed to describe the contributions of the kinetic and diffusive resistances to the overall resistance to mass transfer. Application of this model to the experimental data enabled an overall rate equation for the reversible copper extraction reaction to be written. The active oxime species in the extraction reaction was found to be the monomer with first-order kinetics. The extraction reaction rate was also found to be dependent on aqueous phase hydrogen ion concentration with negative first-order kinetics. The extraction rate constant was determined as 1.3 × 10⁻⁵ cm/s. Assumption that the reverse rate is dependent on hydrogen ion concentration with first-order kinetics enabled the reverse rate constant to be calculated as 6.8 × 10⁻³ cm⁴/mol·s.