Quaternization of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) beads with 2-chloroacetamide for selective mercury extraction

Abstract

Crosslinked poly(4-vinyl pyridine) resin ‘Reillex ® 425’ has been quaternized almost quantitatively with 2-chloroacetamide in DMF solvent. The quaternized resin with 4.03 mmol g −1 quaternization density is an efficient sorbent for selective mercury extraction from aqueous solutions. About 4 mmol g −1 mercury loading capacity of the resin implies that mercury sorption takes place mostly by formation of monoamido–mercury structures. Only negligible amounts (about 0.1 mmol g −1) of foreign ions Ca(II), Mg(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Pb(II) and Fe(III) with 0.15 M concentrations are absorbed by the resin. The mercury sorption is rapid enough and shows first order kinetics ( k=2.38×10 −3 s −1 from HgCl 2 solution). The quaternized resin can be regenerated by stripping of the sorbed mercury with hot acetic acid.