Extraction and separation of mercury(II) from succinate media with high molecular weight amine as an extractant

Abstract

The extraction of mercury(II) from succinate solutions by 2-octylaminopyridine (2-OAP) has been studied by metal distribution measurements. The optimum extraction conditions were determined from a critical study of effects of pH, sodium succinate concentration and 2-octylaminopyridine concentration. The probable composition of the species has been deduced from log–log plots. The extraction reaction proceeds with ion-pair formation and the stoichiometry of extracted species was found to be [(2OAPH+)2 Hg(Succinate)22−](org). The method has been used to separate mercury(II) from commonly associated elements. The method has been further extended to separate and to estimate mercury in synthetic mixtures and real samples.

Keywords

• Mercury (II)
• Solvent extraction
• 2-OAP
• High molecular weight amine