Chemical Degradation Studies on a Series of Dithiophosphinic Acids

A significant increase in the stability of a series of dithiophosphinic acids (DPAHs) under oxidizing acidic conditions was achieved. The degradation behavior of a series of DPAHs, designed for lanthanide/actinide separation, was examined. The stability of the DPAHs, when contacted with varying nitric acid concentrations, was tested and monitored using 31P {1H} NMR. Changes in the functional groups of the DPAHs resulted in substantial increases in the stability. However, when placed in contact with 2 M HNO3 all the DPAHs eventually showed signs of degradation. The addition of a radical scavenger, hydrazine, inhibited the degradation of the DPAHs. In the presence of a small concentration of hydrazine, five of the DPAHs remained stable for over a month in direct contact with 2 M HNO3.