Extraction of gallium(III) from hydrochloric acid by Cyanex 923 and Cyanex 925

Abstract

The extraction of Ga(III) by Cyanex 923 (a mixture of four trialkylphosphine oxides) and Cyanex 925 (bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) octylphosphine oxide) in kerosene from hydrochloric acid medium was studied. Different parameters affecting the extraction of the investigated metal ion such as hydrochloric acid, chloride ion, extractant, and metal ion concentration were separately studied. The stoichiometry of the extracted metal species was found to be GaCl32L¯, where L refers to Cyanex 923 or Cyanex 925. The stripping of the extracted metal species was found to be efficient with 1M HCl solution. The results indicated the possibility of the separation of gallium from some interfering ions namely: Zn(II) and Cu(II). The method developed was applied to the recovery of Ga(III) from a synthetic solution similar in composition to that resulted from the cyclotron containing gallium, zinc and copper from hydrochloric acid medium.