Because of their similarity in physical/chemical properties, the separation of adjacent tervalent lanthanoid metals from their mixture still remains problem. Several techniques have been described to achieve the separation, of which the liquid-liquid extraction method is probably one of the easiest and the most suitable. [1][2][3] Therefore, the separation of the lanthanoids by this method has been examined extensively.2,4,5 Although many extractants have been developed, the satisfactory separation by a conventional single-stage liquid-liquid extraction has not been achieved because of poor discrimination in extraction constants. Many combinations of extractants and adduct-forming reagents have been examined to improve the extraction selectivity. However, such reagents often operate in a reverse direction to reduce the overall extraction selectivity, and have not been successful in enlarging the separation factor.The use of a secondary ligand which forms a watersoluble complex species with these metals has the potential to improve the separation factor in the liquidliquid separation system. Previously, Tsurubou et al. demonstrated that the separation of some lighter lanthanoid complexes with bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid in water-cyclohexane system was improved by the addition of 18-crown-6 into the aqueous phase. 6 The metal stability constant of 18-membered crown ethers such as 18-crown-6 or dibenzo-18-crown-6 increases as the atomic number of lanthanoids decreases, although the magnitude of such changes is rather limited.
5-12Crown ether-like macrocyclic ligands having aza groups instead of oxa groups are interesting as an extension of such secondary ligands. The factors affecting the stability of their metal complexes should be similar to those of the crown ethers, i.e., the fit between the ionic radius and the ring size. It is also noteworthy that the effective concentration of the secondary ligands can be regulated by controlling the pH of aqueous solutions by forming proton-adducts.In the present study, the stability of several tervalent rare earth complexes with 1,10-diaza-4,7,13,16-tetraoxacyclooctadecane (kryptofix 22), an aza-analogue of 18-crown-6, was investigated in aqueous 0.1 M sodium chloride solutions by a liquid-liquid extraction method.
Experimental
ReagentsAll the reagents were of analytical grade and were used without purification. The tervalent rare earth chlorides were supplied by Mitsuwa Chemicals, Osaka, Japan (praseodymium(III), europium(III) and ytterbium(III)) and by Nakarai Tesque, Kyoto, Japan (yttrium(III), gadolinium(III) and holmium(III)). The macrocyclic ligand kryptofix 22 (K22) was supplied by Merck, Germany. The 1-(2-thienyl)-4,4,4-trifluoro-1,3-butanedione (2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone; TTA) was obtained from Dojin Chemicals, Kumamoto, Japan. A colorimetric reagent, Arsenazo III, was obtained from Aldrich Chemicals, USA. The metal complex stability between tervalent rare earth metal ions (ytterium, praseodymium, europium, gadolinium, holmium and ytterbium) and 1,10-diaza-4,...