Purification, general with organic cations

Cations that complex easily generally form stable complexes with oxygenated organic compounds, such as diethyl ether, methyl isobutyl ketone, and tributyl phosphate (TBP). The purification of uranium by solvent extraction of hexavalent uranium from nitrate solutions, with TBP forming U02(N03)2 2TBP, was described in Chap. 5. These metals are extracted most easily from aqueous solutions free of the more hi y complexing anions, such as F, P04, or S04 . 

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