Low-voltage thin-layer electrophoresis of inorganic anions on silica gel-G and titanium (IV) tungstate layers: separation of coexisting F−, Cl−, Br− and I−, I−, IO3− and IO4−, Fe(CN)64− and Fe(CN)63−

Abstract

The electrophoretic behavior of twenty anions has been studied on silica gel-G, titanium (IV) tungstate and silica gel-G- titanium (IV) tungstate admixture layers using 0.1 M solutions of oxalic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid and acetic acid as background electrolyte. The mechanism of migration is explained in terms of adsorption and the solubility of various sodium or potassium salts of the anions in water. Titanium (IV) tungstate behaves only as an adsorbent and not as an ion exchanger. Being a cation exchanger, there is no exchange phenomenon occurring with anions. The migration of halides increase linearly with an increase in the bare ion radii of these ions. Differential migration of the anions on silica gel-G layers led to binary, ternary and quaternary separations of similar anions such as F− – Cl− – Br− – I−, I− – IO3− – IO4−, BrO3− – IO3− and Fe(CN)63− – Fe(CN)64−. The two cyanoferrate ions are separated from industrial waste water and from fixer and bleach solutions. The migration of anions has also been found to be in accordance with their lyotropic numbers.