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Li C, He H, Hou C, He M, Jiao C, Pan Q, Zhang M. A quantum-chemistry and molecular-dynamics study of non-covalent interactions between tri-n-butyl phosphate and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2022.119430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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2
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Servis MJ, Nayak S, Seifert S. The pervasive impact of critical fluctuations in liquid-liquid extraction organic phases. J Chem Phys 2021; 155:244506. [PMID: 34972370 DOI: 10.1063/5.0074995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Liquid-liquid extraction is an essential chemical separation technique where polar solutes are extracted from an aqueous phase into a nonpolar organic solvent by amphiphilic extractant molecules. A fundamental limitation to the efficiency of this important technology is third phase formation, wherein the organic phase splits upon sufficient loading of polar solutes. The nanoscale drivers of phase splitting are challenging to understand in the complex hierarchically structured organic phases. In this study, we demonstrate that the organic phase structure and phase behavior are fundamentally connected in a way than can be understood with critical phenomena theory. For a series of binary mixtures of trialkyl phosphate extractants with linear alkane diluents, we combine small angle x-ray scattering and molecular dynamics simulations to demonstrate how the organic phase mesostructure over a wide range of compositions is dominated by critical concentration fluctuations associated with the critical point of the third phase formation phase transition. These findings reconcile many longstanding inconsistencies in the literature where small angle scattering features, also consistent with such critical fluctuations, were interpreted as reverse micellar-like particles. Overall, this study shows how the organic phase mesostructure and phase behavior are intrinsically linked, deepening our understanding of both and providing a new framework for using molecular structure and thermodynamic variables to control mesostructure and phase behavior in liquid-liquid extraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Servis
- Argonne National Laboratory, Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Lemont, Illinois 60439, USA
| | - Srikanth Nayak
- Argonne National Laboratory, Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Lemont, Illinois 60439, USA
| | - Soenke Seifert
- Argonne National Laboratory, X-ray Science Division, Lemont, Illinois 60439, USA
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3
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Ta AT, Golzwarden JVA, Jensen MP, Vyas S. Behaviors of ALSEP Organic Extractants: an Atomic Perspective Derived from Molecular Dynamics Simulation. SOLVENT EXTRACTION AND ION EXCHANGE 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/07366299.2021.1956104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- An T. Ta
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, United States
| | | | - Mark P. Jensen
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, United States
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, United States
| | - Shubham Vyas
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, United States
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4
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Sarkar S, Mondal SK, Beriya MK, Saha P. Spectroscopic, thermodynamic and ultrasonic properties of pseudo‐binary mixtures of organic extractants and vegetable oil at 25–60°C under atmospheric pressure. ASIA-PAC J CHEM ENG 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/apj.2650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Soumi Sarkar
- Department of Chemical Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Guwahati India
| | - Supriyo Kumar Mondal
- Department of Chemical Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Guwahati India
| | - Manoj Kumar Beriya
- Department of Chemical Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Guwahati India
| | - Prabirkumar Saha
- Department of Chemical Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Guwahati India
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5
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Servis MJ, Piechowicz M, Shkrob IA, Soderholm L, Clark AE. Amphiphile Organization in Organic Solutions: An Alternative Explanation for Small-Angle X-ray Scattering Features in Malonamide/Alkane Mixtures. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:10822-10831. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c07080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Servis
- Department of Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Marek Piechowicz
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Ilya A. Shkrob
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - L. Soderholm
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Aurora E. Clark
- Department of Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
- Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
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6
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Chowdhury AU, Lin L, Doughty B. Hydrogen-Bond-Driven Chemical Separations: Elucidating the Interfacial Steps of Self-Assembly in Solvent Extraction. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:32119-32130. [PMID: 32551500 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c06176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Chemical separations, particularly liquid extractions, are pervasive in academic and industrial laboratories, yet a mechanistic understanding of the events governing their function are obscured by interfacial phenomena that are notoriously difficult to measure. In this work, we investigate the fundamental steps of ligand self-assembly as driven by changes in the interfacial H-bonding network using vibrational sum frequency generation. Our results show how the bulk pH modulates the interfacial structure of extractants at the buried oil/aqueous interface via the formation of unique H-bonding networks that order and bridge ligands to produce self-assembled aggregates. These extended H-bonded structures are key to the subsequent extraction of Co2+ from the aqueous phase in promoting micelle formation and subsequent ejection of the said micelle into the oil phase. The combination of static and time-resolved measurements reveals the events underlying complexities of liquid extractions at high [Co2+]:[ligand] ratios by showing an evolution of interfacially assembled structures that are readily tuned on a chemical basis by altering the compositions of the aqueous phase. The results of this work point to new principles to design-applied separations through the manipulation of surface charge, electrostatic screening, and the associated H-bonding networks that arise at the interface to facilitate organization and subsequent extraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azhad U Chowdhury
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Lu Lin
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Benjamin Doughty
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
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7
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Servis MJ, Martinez-Baez E, Clark AE. Hierarchical phenomena in multicomponent liquids: simulation methods, analysis, chemistry. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:9850-9874. [PMID: 32154813 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp00164c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Complex, multicomponent, solutions have often been studied solely through the lens of specific applications of interest. Yet advances to both simulation methodologies (enhanced sampling, etc.) and analysis techniques (network analysis algorithms and others), are creating a trove of data that reveal transcending characteristics across vast compositional phase space. This perspective discusses technical considerations of the reliable and accurate simulations of complex solutions, followed by the advances to analysis algorithms that elucidate coupling of different length and timescale behavior (hierarchical phenomena). The different manifestations of hierarchical phenomena are presented across an array of solution environments, emphasizing fundamental and ongoing science questions. With a more advanced molecular understanding in hand, a quintessential application (solvent extraction) is discussed, where significant opportunities exist to re-imagine the technical scope of an established technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Servis
- Department of Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
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8
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Bapat DU, Dalvi VH. Molecular Insights into Water Clusters Formed in Tributylphosphate-Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric Acid Extractant Systems from Experiments and Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:1618-1635. [PMID: 30730739 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b10831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and tributylphosphate (TBP) are two of the most studied and researched organophosphorous extractants. D2EHPA is an acidic extractant, offering both hydrogen bond donor and acceptor sites while TBP, a neutral extractant, only offers a single acceptor site per molecule. In spite of this, it is observed that 1 M D2EHPA in dodecane is a poorer extractant for water than 1 M TBP in dodecane. The objective of present work is to look into the molecular interactions that cause such behavior. Experiments were carried out with varying molar ratios of TBP and D2EHPA in the organic dodecane phase. Total extractant concentration was kept constant at 1 M with dodecane as diluent. Water extraction was quantified by measuring the moisture content of the organic phase after equilibration. 1H and 31P NMR spectra of the organic phase samples were recorded to study the change in the chemical environment upon extraction. Small angle X-ray scattering data of water saturated extractant phases were analyzed for the possibility of a reverse micellar aggregate formation. Molecular dynamics simulations could calculate free energies in quantitative agreement with experiments. Experimental and simulation studies showed that aggregation in the organic phase was promoted by the presence of water. This combined approach, of experiments and simulation, has shown that water is indispensable for the formation of ordered aggregates of extractants in nonpolar organic solvents. It is seen that, in the organic phase, around 80% of water's hydrogen bonds are with extractant molecules rather than with itself. The analysis clearly indicates that, rather than forming an aqueous core surrounded by extractant, water acts as a bridge between extractant molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak U Bapat
- Department of Chemical Engineering , Institute of Chemical Technology , Mumbai 400019 , India
| | - Vishwanath H Dalvi
- Department of Chemical Engineering , Institute of Chemical Technology , Mumbai 400019 , India
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9
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Servis MJ, Clark AE. Surfactant-enhanced heterogeneity of the aqueous interface drives water extraction into organic solvents. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:2866-2874. [DOI: 10.1039/c8cp06450d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Liquid/liquid extraction (LLE) is one of the most industrially relevant separations methods. Adsorbed surfactant is demonstrated to enhance interfacial heterogeneity and lead to water protrusions that form the basis for transport into the organic phase.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aurora E. Clark
- Department of Chemistry
- Washington State University
- Pullman
- USA
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
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10
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The role of solvent and neutral organophosphorus extractant structure in their organization and association. J Mol Liq 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2018.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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11
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Mu J, Motokawa R, Akutsu K, Nishitsuji S, Masters AJ. A Novel Microemulsion Phase Transition: Toward the Elucidation of Third-Phase Formation in Spent Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:1439-1452. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b08515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Junju Mu
- School
of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
| | - Ryuhei Motokawa
- Hierarchical
Structure Research Group, Materials Sciences Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Akutsu
- Research
Centre for Neutron Science and Technology, Comprehensive Research Organization for Science and Society (CROSS), Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1106, Japan
| | - Shotaro Nishitsuji
- Graduate
School of Science and Engineering, Yamagata University, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-8510, Japan
| | - Andrew J. Masters
- School
of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
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12
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Guilbaud P, Berthon L, Louisfrema W, Diat O, Zorz N. Determination of the Structures of Uranyl-Tri-n-butyl-Phosphate Aggregates by Coupling Experimental Results with Molecular Dynamic Simulations. Chemistry 2017; 23:16660-16670. [PMID: 28971546 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201703967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The complex structure of a plutonium uranium refining by extraction (PUREX) process organic phase was characterized by combining results from experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. For the first time, the molecular interactions between tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) and the extracted solutes, as well as TBP aggregation after the extraction of water and/or uranyl nitrate, were described and analyzed concomitantly. Coupling molecular dynamics simulations with small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS) experiments can lead to simulated organic solutions that are representative of the experimental ones, even for high extractant and solute concentrations. Furthermore, this coupling is well adapted for the interpretation of SWAXS experiments without preliminary hypothesis on the size or shape of aggregates. The results link together previous literature studies obtained for each level of depiction separately (complexation or aggregation). Without uranium, or at low metal concentration, almost no aggregation was observed. At high uranium concentration, organic phases contain small [UO2 (NO3 )2 (TBP)2 ]n polymetallic aggregates (with n=2 to 4), in which the 1:2 U/TBP stoichiometry is preserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillipe Guilbaud
- CEA, Nuclear Energy Division, Research Department, on Mining and Fuel Recycling Processes (SPDS/LILA), BP17171, 30207, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
| | - Laurence Berthon
- CEA, Nuclear Energy Division, Research Department, on Mining and Fuel Recycling Processes (SPDS/LILA), BP17171, 30207, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
| | - Wilfried Louisfrema
- CEA, Nuclear Energy Division, Research Department, on Mining and Fuel Recycling Processes (SPDS/LILA), BP17171, 30207, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
| | - Olivier Diat
- Institut de Chimie Séparative de Marcoule (ICSM/ UMR 5257), CEA/CNRS/UM/ENSCM, BP17171, 30206, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
| | - Nicole Zorz
- CEA, Nuclear Energy Division, Research Department, on Mining and Fuel Recycling Processes (SPDS/LILA), BP17171, 30207, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
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14
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Ramanathan N, Sundararajan K, Viswanathan KS. Conformational Landscape of Tri-n-butyl Phosphate: Matrix Isolation Infrared Spectroscopy and Systematic Computational Analysis. J Phys Chem A 2017; 121:6108-6121. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.7b05006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- N. Ramanathan
- Materials
Chemistry and Metal Fuel Cycle Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - K. Sundararajan
- Materials
Chemistry and Metal Fuel Cycle Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - K. S. Viswanathan
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Sector 81, Mohali 140306, Punjab, India
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15
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Servis MJ, Wu DT, Braley JC. Network analysis and percolation transition in hydrogen bonded clusters: nitric acid and water extracted by tributyl phosphate. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2017; 19:11326-11339. [DOI: 10.1039/c7cp01845b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Network analysis of hydrogen bonded clusters formed in simulation by extraction of nitric acid and water by TBP interprets cluster topologies and identifies the mechanism for third phase formation.
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Vo QN, Dang LX, Nilsson M, Nguyen HD. Quantifying Dimer and Trimer Formation by Tri-n-butyl Phosphates in n-Dodecane: Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:6985-94. [PMID: 27398866 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b02924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP), a representative of neutral organophosphorous ligands, is an important extractant used in the solvent extraction process for the recovery of uranium and plutonium from spent nuclear fuel. Microscopic pictures of TBP isomerism and its behavior in n-dodecane diluent were investigated utilizing MD simulations with previously optimized force field parameters for TBP and n-dodecane. Potential mean force (PMF) calculations on a single TBP molecule show seven probable TBP isomers. Radial distribution functions (RDFs) of TBP suggest the existence of TBP trimers at high TBP concentrations in addition to dimers. 2D PMF calculations were performed to determine the angle and distance criteria for TBP trimers. The dimerization and trimerization constants of TBP in n-dodecane were obtained and match our own experimental values using the FTIR technique. The new insights into the conformational behaviors of the TBP molecule as a monomer and as part of an aggregate could greatly aid in the understanding of the complexation between TBP and metal ions in a solvent extraction system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quynh N Vo
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Irvine , Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Liem X Dang
- Physical Science Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory , Richland, Washington 93352, United States
| | - Mikael Nilsson
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Irvine , Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Hung D Nguyen
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Irvine , Irvine, California 92697, United States
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