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US 5,344,567 AGranted
Recovery of indium by solvent extraction using trialkylphosphine oxides
AssigneeCyanamid Canada Inc.
InventorWilliam A. Rickelton
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Abstract
This invention relates to a process for the recovery of indium from aqueous acid solutions. More particularly, it concerns the use of a combination of a dialkyl phosphoric acid and a mixture of trialkyl phosphine oxides to extract indium from acidic sulphate leach liquors.
Claims12
A process for the extraction of indium from aqueous acidic liquors, which process comprises:
- (a) contacting said indium-containing acid solution with a solvent extractant combination comprising
- (i) a dialkyl phosphoric acid and
- (ii) a tertiary phosphine oxide selected from 1) a mixture containing at least four different components each of the same general formula RR.sup.i R.sup.ii PO wherein R, R.sup.i, R.sup.ii are the same or different saturated hydrocarbon radicals of 6 to about 16 carbon atoms, and at least two components of said tertiary phosphine oxide mixture being unsymmetrical tertiary phosphine oxides containing at least one R, R.sup.i, R.sup.ii group different from the other said groups;
- 2) a mixture of branched tertiary phosphine oxide compounds selected from those of the formulae:
- R.sup.iii R.sup.iv.sub.2 PO and
- R.sup.iv.sub.3 PO
- wherein R.sup.iii and R.sup.iv are selected from saturated hydrocarbon radicals of from about 6 to about 16 carbon atoms and wherein R.sup.iii is unbranched and R.sup.iv comprises at least two branches per hydrocarbon radical;
- or a combination of 1) and 2);
- (b) separating a resulting dialkyl phosphoric acid-phosphine oxide-indium complex from said acid solution;
- and
- (c) recovering the indium from said complex.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.