The reversed phase thin-layer chromatographic behavior of the rare earths, thorium, uranium and zirconuim with a high molecular weight amine in sulfuric acid and ammonium sulfate systems

Abstract

Thin-layer plates of silica gel impregnated with a high molecular weight amine Amberlite LA-2, in the sulfate form, were used to investigate systematically the chromatographic behavior of the rare earths thorium, uranium(VI) and zirconium in sulfuric acid and acid ammonium sulfate media. The R F values for these metal ions decrease with increasing concentration of the acid sulfate, in teh acid system particularly. An interesting correlation is revealed between the R F values of the rare earths and the paramagnetic moment of the trivalent rare earths in the high concentration range of the acid and sulfate. An odd—even fluctuation of the R F values against atomic number is also found for the heavy lanthanides. Differences in the R F values of the rare earths in acid sulfate media indicate teh possibility of good separations of adjacent pairs or groups of the rare earths from each other by selecting an appropriate concentration of sulfate. The rare earths, thorium, uranium(VI) and zirconium can also be separated chromatographically with either 0.5 or 1.0 M sulfuric acid as developing solvent.