Development of liquid-liquid extraction and separation method for ruthenium(III) with 2-octylaminopyridine from succinate media: Analysis of catalysts

Ruthenium(III) has been efficiently extracted from 0.05 M sodium succinate at pH 9.5 by 2-octylaminopyridine in xylene and stripped with aqueous 10% (w/v) thiourea solution and determined spectrophotometrically. Various parameters viz., pH, weak acid concentration, reagent concentration, stripping agents, contact time, loading capacity, aq.: org. volume ratio, solvent has been thoroughly investigated for quantitative extraction of ruthenium(III). The utility of method was analyzed by separating the ruthenium(III) from binary mixture along with the base metals like Cu(II), Ag(I), Fe(II), Co(II), Bi(III), Zn(II), Ni(II), Se(IV), Te(IV), Al(III) and Hg(II) as well as platinum group metals (PGMs). Ruthenium(III) was also separated from ternary mixtures like Os(VIII), Pd(II); Pd(II), Pt(IV); Pd(II), Au(III); Pd(II), Cu(II); Fe(II), Cu(II); Ni(II), Cu(II); Co(II), Ni(II); Se(IV), Te(IV); Rh(III), Pd(II); Fe(III), Os(VIII). The stoichiometry 1: 2: 1 (metal: succinate: extractant) of the proposed complex was determined by slope analysis method by plotting graph of logD [Ru(III)] versus logC [2-OAP] and logD [Ru(III)] versus logC [succinate]. The interference of various cations and anions has been studied in detail and the statistical evaluations of the experimental results are reported. The method was successfully applied for the analysis of ruthenium in various catalysts, synthetic mixtures corresponding to the composition of alloys and minerals.