Extraction and carrier facilitated transport of alkali metal cations using diethyleneglycol dibenzoate

Abstract

The extraction and carrier facilitated transport of Na⁺ and K⁺ have been studied using diethylene glycol dibenzoate as the carrier, through chloroform and dichloroethane bulk liquid membrane system. Picrate, dinitrophenolate, <i>o</i>-nitrophenolate and thiocyanate have been used as anions. Higher extraction values are observed for K⁺ than those for, Na⁺. No transport of Na⁺ is observed when thiocyanate is used as anion. There is no effect of the anion on the extraction; however, it plays an important role in the transport of cations. Complexes of sodium picrate and lithium dinitrophenolate with the carrier have been isolated in solid state and characterized. The stoichiometry of the isolated complexes is found to be 1:1.