The Influence of Alkyl Chain Length and Steric Effect on the Stability Constants and Extractability of Co(II) Complexes with 1-Alkyl-2-Methylimidazoles

New Polymer Inclusion Membranes in the Separation of Palladium, Zinc and Nickel Ions from Aqueous Solutions

The new polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) with a 1-alkyltriazole matrix was used to separate palladium(II) ions from aqueous chloride solutions containing a mixture of Zn-Pd-Ni ions. The effective conditions for transport studies by PIMs were determined based on solvent extraction (SX) studies. Furthermore, the values of the stability constants and partition coefficients of M(II)-alkyltriazole complexes were determined. The values of both constants increase with the growing hydrophobicity of the 1-alkyltriazole molecule and have the highest values for the Pd(II) complexes. The initial fluxes, selectivity coefficients, and recovery factors values of for Pd, Zn and Ni were determined on the basis of membrane transport studies. The transport selectivity of PIMs were: Pd(II) > Zn(II) > Ni(II). The initial metal ion fluxes for all the cations increased with the elongation of the alkyl chain in the 1-alkyltriazole, but the selectivity coefficients decreased. The highest values of the initial fluxes at pH = 4.0 were found for Pd(II) ions. The best selectivity coefficients Pd(II)/Zn(II) and Pd(II)/Ni(II) equal to 4.0 and 13.4, respectively, were found for 1-pentyl-triazole. It was shown that the microstructure of the polymer membrane surface influences the kinetics of metal ion transport. Based on the conducted research, it was shown that the new PIMs with 1-alkyltriazole can be successfully used in an acidic medium to separate a mixture containing Pd(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II) ions.

Application of Hydrophobic Alkylimidazoles in the Separation of Non-Ferrous Metal Ions across Plasticised Membranes-A Review

Currently, a lot of attention is paid to polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs). Their particular advantages include effective support fixation, easy preparation, versatility, stability, good mechanical properties and good chemical resistance. The paper presents a review of the literature related to the applications of polymer inclusion membranes containing alkylimidazole derivatives as carriers in the processes of transporting ions of heavy and toxic metals, such as Zn(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Mn(II). It has been proven that alkylimidazoles exhibit varying complex-forming properties towards metal ions, and that their properties (hydrophobic and alkaline) can be modified easily by changing the size of the alkyl group and its position in the imidazole ring, which allows obtaining efficiently working metal ion carriers. The stability of an imidazole derivative-metal ion complex determines the speed and selectivity of the process of transporting metal ions across polymer inclusion membranes. Also, the morphological structure of polymer inclusion membranes impacts the efficiency of the process involving the release and separation of metal ions.