Crown ether integrated polymer for sr-90 capture and synthesis methods
OwnerZane Frost, Jackson Shoultz +2inventors
InventorsZane Frost, Jackson Shoultz, Kim Pamplin, Diego Zometa
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Abstract
A crown ether integrated polymer may be used to enable solid phase extraction of strontium-90 from an aqueous solution of various fission products. The crown ether integrated polymer may generally be a polymerized 18-crown-6 ether. Polymerization may be accomplished through a variety of different synthesis schemes that leverage Friedel-Crafts alkylation, a Merrifield resin, or form an ether-linked polymer. The crown ether integrated polymer enables solid phase extraction techniques that promote high adsorption, chemical stability, and reusability.
Claims20
A method of capturing strontium-90 from an aqueous solution comprising:
- providing an aqueous solution comprising strontium-90;
- acidifying the aqueous solution;
- and
- exposing the aqueous solution to an ether-linked polymer comprising a plurality of dibenzo-18-crown-6 moieties covalently bonded to one another through alkyl or benzyl ether linkages.
A method for synthesizing a crown-ether-integrated polymer through Friedel-Crafts alkylation comprising:
- combining a first solution comprising dibenzo-18-crown-6 ether and a polysubstituted alkyl halide selected from the group consisting of 1,2-dichloroethane, oxalyl chloride, and chloroacetyl chloride with a second solution comprising aluminum trichloride and said polysubstituted alkyl halide to produce a reaction mixture;
- rinsing the reaction mixture;
- separating an organic layer from the reaction mixture;
- and
- collecting a precipitate from the organic layer, wherein the precipitate comprises the crown-ether-integrated polymer.
A method for synthesizing a crown-ether-integrated polymer comprising:
- combining a first solution comprising a crown ether selected from dibenzo-18-crown-6 ether or benzo-18-crown-6 ether and a Merrifield resin with a second solution comprising aluminum trichloride to produce a reaction mixture;
- heating the reaction mixture to a boiling point;
- adding methanol to the reaction mixture;
- separating an organic layer from the reaction mixture;
- and
- collecting a precipitate from the organic layer, wherein the precipitate comprises a crosslinked polymer network comprising a plurality of crown ether moieties covalently bonded to each other and to the Merrifield resin.
A method for synthesizing an ether-linked crown ether polymer comprising:
- reducing a cis-diformyl dibenzo-18-crown-6 ether with sodium borohydride in ethanol to produce a crown ether dibenzyl alcohol;
- suspending the crown ether dibenzyl alcohol in dichloromethane;
- adding sulfuric acid to produce a reaction mixture;
- heating the reaction mixture under reflux conditions to effect acid-catalyzed dehydrative coupling;
- and
- collecting a precipitate comprising the ether-linked crown ether polymer.
A method for synthesizing an ether-linked crown ether polymer comprising:
- converting a first portion of a crown ether dibenzyl alcohol to an alkyl halide by reaction with hydrochloric acid or thionyl chloride;
- converting a second portion of the crown ether dibenzyl alcohol to an alkoxide by reaction with sodium tert-butoxide in tert-butyl alcohol;
- combining the alkyl halide and the alkoxide in tert-butyl alcohol;
- refluxing to effect coupling;
- and
- collecting a precipitate comprising the ether-linked crown ether polymer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.