Impact of ionic liquids on europium and americium extraction by an upper rim phosphorylated calixarene

Abstract

The solvent extraction of europium and americium using the calixarene 5,11,17,23-tetrakis[dipropylphosphinylmethyl] 25,26,27,28-tetrapropoxycalix[4]arene (conical conformation) in the presence of ionic liquids with different natures was studied. It was shown that upper rim phosphorylated calixarene is able to extract europium and americium from nitric acid to dichloroethane by forming a 1:1 complex without the addition of ionic liquids. The distribution coefficients of americium are higher than those of europium in this case, but the isolation degrees of both elements are insufficient for this system to be useful in extraction technologies. The addition of the ionic liquid trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium hexafluorophosphate increases the europium distribution coefficient by values ranging from twofold to more than two orders of magnitude at ionic liquid concentrations of 1 and 50 %, respectively. The values of the distribution coefficients for americium are increased by approximately 25-fold after a 50 % addition of the ionic liquid.