Combining a Lipophilic Phenanthroline Carboxamide and a Hydrophilic Diglycolamide to Increase the Separation Factors of Adjacent Light Lanthanides

ABSTRACT

The combination of two neutral CHON reagents, a lipophilic phenanthroline dicarboxamide and a hydrophilic diglycolamide, resulted in a synergistic separation of adjacent light lanthanides in nitrate medium as the ligands present a reversed lanthanide selectivity. Separation factors higher than 7 were obtained for the pair Pr/Nd, which is one of the highest values reported in the literature.

KEYWORDS:

• Lanthanides
• solvent extraction
• phenanthroline dicarboxamide
• TEDGA

Acknowledgments

Authors would like to thank the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for the commissioned project this study belongs to.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization.