Significant enhanced uranyl ions extraction efficiency with phosphoramidate-functionalized ionic liquids via synergistic effect of coordination and hydrogen bond

The influence of the linking group between the phosphoryl and bridging moieties in phosphoryl-containing task-specific ionic liquids (TSILs) on the extraction of uranyl ions was experimentally and theoretically investigated. A novel phosphoramidate-based TSIL with an amine group as the linking moiety resulted in a higher uranyl ion extraction efficiency compared with that of other phosphoryl-based TSILs. A distribution ratio of 4999 +/- 51 can be achieved for uranyl ions. The uranyl ions (76.7 +/- 1.5%) were stripped from the loaded ionic liquid phase in a single stage using 0.05 M diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid in a 1.0 M guanidine carbonate solution. The extraction stoichiometry of the uranyl ions was determined by a slope analysis of the extraction data. Furthermore, the fundamental nature of the interaction between the phosphoramidate-based TSIL and uranyl ions was theoretically studied for the first time. The theoretical calculations demonstrated that the synergistic effect of the complexation interaction and H-bond formation between the phosphoramidate-functional ionic liquid and uranyl nitrate led to the higher extraction efficiency. These results provide a basis for rational design, synthesis and potential applications of novel TSILs for uranyl extraction.