Lanthanide acids

Europium(TTI) salts are typical lanthanide derivatives. Europium(ll) salts are pale yellow in colour and are strong reducing agents but stable in water. EuX2 are prepared from EuX -hEu (X=C1, Br, I) or EuFa + Ca EuCl2 forms a dihydrale. EUSO4 is prepared by electrolytic reduction of Eu(III) in sulphuric acid. Eu(II) is probably the most stable +2 stale of the lanthanides... 

A combination of the promoting effects of Lewis acids and water is a logical next step. However, to say the least, water has not been a very popular medium for Lewis-acid catalysed Diels-Alder reactions, which is not surprising since water molecules interact strongly with Lewis-acidic and the Lewis-basic atoms of the reacting system. In 1994, when the research described in this thesis was initiated, only one example of Lewis-acid catalysis of a Diels-Alder reaction in water was published Lubineau and co-workers employed lanthanide triflates as a catalyst for the Diels-Alder reaction of glyoxylate to a relatively unreactive diene . No comparison was made between the process in water and in organic solvents. 

First, the use of water limits the choice of Lewis-acid catalysts. The most active Lewis acids such as BFj, TiQ4 and AlClj react violently with water and cannot be used However, bivalent transition metal ions and trivalent lanthanide ions have proven to be active catalysts in aqueous solution for other organic reactions and are anticipated to be good candidates for the catalysis of aqueous Diels-Alder reactions. 

Fig. 11) form very strong and selective complexes with Fe or actinide and lanthanide ions (63,64) while a similar receptor with hard endocarboxyhc acid groups is efficient for hard and ions showing again responsibility of a charge density effect in the receptor—substrate recognition (65). Thus,... 

Solid Compounds. The tripositive actinide ions resemble tripositive lanthanide ions in their precipitation reactions (13,14,17,20,22). Tetrapositive actinide ions are similar in this respect to Ce . Thus the duorides and oxalates are insoluble in acid solution, and the nitrates, sulfates, perchlorates, and sulfides are all soluble. The tetrapositive actinide ions form insoluble iodates and various substituted arsenates even in rather strongly acid solution. The MO2 actinide ions can be precipitated as the potassium salt from strong carbonate solutions. In solutions containing a high concentration of sodium and acetate ions, the actinide ions form the insoluble crystalline salt NaM02(02CCH2)3. The hydroxides of all four ionic types are insoluble ... 

A particularly useful reaction has been the selective 1,2-reduction of a, P-unsaturated carbonyl compounds to aHyUc alcohols, accompHshed by NaBH ia the presence of lanthanide haUdes, especially cerium chloride. Initially appHed to ketones (33), it has been broadened to aldehydes (34) and acid chlorides (35). NaBH by itself gives mixtures of the saturated and unsaturated alcohols. 

Chemical Properties. Although the chemical properties of the trivalent lanthanides are quite similar, some differences occur as a consequence of the lanthanide contraction (see Table 3). The chemical properties of yttrium are very similar too, on account of its external electronic stmcture and ionic radius. Yttrium and the lanthanides are typical hard acids, and bind preferably with hard bases such as oxygen-based ligands. Nevertheless they also bind with soft bases, typicaUy sulfur and nitrogen-based ligands in the absence of hard base ligands. 

In aqueous solutions, trivalent lanthanides ate very stable whereas only a limited number of lanthanides exhibit a stable divalent or tetravalent state. Practically, only Ce and Eu " exist in aqueous solutions. The properties of these cations ate very different from the properties of the trivalent lanthanides. For example, Ce" " is mote acidic and cetium(IV) hydroxide precipitates at pH 1. Eu " is less acidic and eutopium(II) hydroxide does not precipitate at pH 7—8.5, whereas trivalent lanthanide hydroxides do. Some industrial separations ate based on these phenomena. 

The lanthanides form many compounds with organic ligands. Some of these compounds ate water-soluble, others oil-soluble. Water-soluble compounds have been used extensively for rare-earth separation by ion exchange (qv), for example, complexes form with citric acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEEDTA) (see Chelating agents). The complex formation is pH-dependent. Oil-soluble compounds ate used extensively in the industrial separation of rate earths by tiquid—tiquid extraction. The preferred extractants ate catboxyhc acids, otganophosphoms acids and esters, and tetraaLkylammonium salts. 

Extraction by carboxyUc acids (qv) is carried out in a neutral or weaMy acidic medium. The most widely used carboxyUc acid is RR (CH2)CCOOH, where Rplus represents seven carbon atoms. Trade names are Versatic 10 (Shell Chemicals) and Neodecanoic acid (Exxon Chemicals). CarboxyUc acids can be used either in chloride or in nitrate media and have a better selectivity for light lanthanides than for heavy lanthanide separation. 

Therefore the extent of extraction or back-extraction is governed by the concentration of X ia the aqueous phase, the distribution coefficients, and selectivities depending on the anion. In nitrate solutions, the distribution coefficient decreases as the atomic number of the REE increases, whereas ia thiocyanate solutions, the distribution coefficient roughly increases as the atomic number of the REE increases. The position of yttrium in the lanthanide series is not the same in nitrate and thiocyanate solutions, and this phenomenon has been used for high purity yttrium manufacture in the past. A combination of extraction by carboxyUc acids then by ammonium salts is also utilized for production of high purity yttrium. 

Oil field uses are primarily imidazolines for surfactant and corrosion inhibition (see Petroleum). Besides the lubrication market for metal salts, the miscellaneous market is comprised of free acids used ia concrete additives, motor oil lubricants, and asphalt-paving applications (47) (see Asphalt Lubrication AND lubricants). Naphthenic acid has also been studied ia ore flotation for recovery of rare-earth metals (48) (see Flotation Lanthanides). 

Absorption Spectra, of Aqueous Ions. The absorption spectra of Pu(III) [22541-70 ] Pu(IV) [22541 4-2] Pu(V) [22541-69-1] and Pu(VI) [22541-41-9] in mineral acids, ie, HCIO and HNO, have been measured (78—81). The Pu(VII) [39611-88-61] spectmm, which can be measured only in strong alkaU hydroxide solution, also has been reported (82). As for rare-earth ion spectra, the spectra of plutonium ions exhibit sharp lines, but have larger extinction coefficients than those of most lanthanide ions (see Lanthanides). The visible spectra in dilute acid solution are shown in Figure 4 and the spectmm of Pu(VII) in base is shown in Figure 5. The spectra of ions of plutonium have been interpreted in relation to all of the ions of the bf elements (83). 

Coordination Complexes. The abiUty of the various oxidation states of Pu to form complex ions with simple hard ligands, such as oxygen, is, in order of decreasing stabiUty, Pu + > PuO " > Pu + > PuO Thus, Pu(Ill) forms relatively weak complexes with fluoride, chloride, nitrate, and sulfate (105), and stronger complexes with oxygen ligands (Lewis-base donors) such as carbonate, oxalate, and polycarboxylates, eg, citrate, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (106). The complexation behavior of Pu(Ill) is quite similar to that of the light lanthanide(Ill) ions, particularly to Nd(Ill)... 

A full discussion of thorium electrochemistry is available (3). Thorium is generally more acidic than the lanthanides but less acidic than other light actinides, such as U, Np, and Pu, as expected from the larger Th" " ionic radius (108 pm). 

There are a number of minerals in which thorium is found. Thus a number of basic process flow sheets exist for the recovery of thorium from ores (10). The extraction of mona ite from sands is accompHshed via the digestion of sand using hot base, which converts the oxide to the hydroxide form. The hydroxide is then dissolved in hydrochloric acid and the pH adjusted to between 5 and 6, affording the separation of thorium from the less acidic lanthanides. Thorium hydroxide is dissolved in nitric acid and extracted using methyl isobutyl ketone or tributyl phosphate in kerosene to yield Th(N02)4,... 

Both arsonic and arsinic acids give precipitates with many metal ions, a property which has found considerable use in analytical chemistry. Of particular importance are certain a2o dyes (qv) containing both arsonic and sulfonic acid groups which give specific color reactions with a wide variety of transition, lanthanide, and actinide metal ions. One of the best known of these dyes is... 

An alternative process for opening bastnasite is used ia Chiaa high temperature roastiag with sulfuric acid followed by an aqueous leach produces a solution containing the Ln elements. Ln is then precipitated by addition of sodium chloride as a mixed sulfate. Controlled precipitation of hydroxide can remove impurities and the Ln content is eventually taken up ia HCl. The initial cerium-containing product, oace the heavy metals Sm and beyond have been removed, is a light lanthanide (La, Ce, Pr, and Nd) rare-earth chloride. 

The sohds are treated with hydrochloric acid at 70°C at pH 3—4. The thorium hydroxide [13825-36-0] remains iasoluble and can be filtered off. Small amounts of trace contaminants that carry through iato solutioa, such as uranium and lead as well as some thorium, are removed by coprecipitation with barium sulfate ia a deactivatioa step. The resultiag product, after SX-removal of the heavy La fractioa, is a rare-earth/lanthanide chloride,... 

Lewis acids are defined as molecules that act as electron-pair acceptors. The proton is an important special case, but many other species can play an important role in the catalysis of organic reactions. The most important in organic reactions are metal cations and covalent compounds of metals. Metal cations that play prominent roles as catalysts include the alkali-metal monocations Li+, Na+, K+, Cs+, and Rb+, divalent ions such as Mg +, Ca +, and Zn, marry of the transition-metal cations, and certain lanthanides. The most commonly employed of the covalent compounds include boron trifluoride, aluminum chloride, titanium tetrachloride, and tin tetrachloride. Various other derivatives of boron, aluminum, and titanium also are employed as Lewis acid catalysts. 

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