Abstract
The solvent extraction of metal ions came to prominence in the surge of interest in the production and processing of nuclear materials in conjunction with the Manhattan Project during the early 1940s. Metal ion separations have since come to constitute an essential component of numerous industrial processes and a primary step in many chemical analyses. For the last two decades, ionic liquids (ILs) have been evaluated as replacements for the molecular liquids normally used in solvent extraction. Various reports suggest that ILs may improve the performance and versatility of liquid-liquid extraction in metal ion separations. Many other studies, however, indicate that the participation of IL components in partitioning reactions between immiscible phases and certain of their physicochemical characteristics render their utility as direct replacements of molecular solvents questionable. In this chapter the use of ILs is described in the context of their properties and the approaches to their application as extraction solvents for metal ions, either alone or in combination with an extractant.
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