Extraction of rare earths and scandium by 2-phosphorylphenoxyacetic acid amides in the presence of ionic liquids

The distribution of Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and Sc between aqueous solutions of their salts and solutions of 2-phosphorylphenoxy acid amides in dichloroethane containing an ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide) have been studied. Metal ion extraction has been found to increase considerably in the presence of this ionic liquid in the organic phase. The stoichiometries of extractable complexes have been determined. The influence of aqueous HNO3 concentration and of the nature of extractant and ionic liquid on the efficiency of REE(III) and scandium(III) recovery to the organic phase has been considered.