• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.266-272
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• 1992

Azacrownoalkyl phenylphosphinic acids were synthesized and their competitive solvent extraction characteristics from water to chloroform layer were investigated. Phosphinic acids were synthesized in good yields by one step reaction of phenylphosphinate, aldehyde, and monoazacrown ether and then basic hydrolysis of the resulting phosphinate dsters. These complexing agents revealed a wide effective pH range in extraction of alkali metal ions from water to the organic phase and total metal ion loading at pH 11 was about 75%. The selectivity of the cation extraction was determined mainly by the cavity size of the azacrown ethers, showing $Na^+$ >> $K^+$ > $Rb^+$ > $Li^+$ > $Cs^+$ for the alkyl phenylphosphinic acid ${\underline{2}}$, containing monoaza-15-crown-5 and $K^+$ >> $Rb^+$ > $Na^+$ > $Cs^+$ > $Li^+$ for the alkyl phenylphosphinic acid, ${\underline{3}}$, containing monoaza-18-crown-6 moiety. Applicable pH range of these azacrown ether phosphinic acids in solvent extraction of alkali metal cations was wider than a crownether carboxylic acid with similar selectivity, showing considerable amount of metal ion loading in slightly acidic or neutral media.