Characteristics and Mechanism of Cu(II) Extraction with Polymeric Particles with Interconnected Spherical Pores Impregnated with LIX84-I

LIX84-I was successfully immobilized and encapsulated in polymeric particle. Characterization of Cu(II) extracted into the polymeric particles impregnated with LIX84-I was also performed. Cu(II) ions were successfully extracted from an acidic solution and a constant value at a higher initial concentration of Cu(II) in the aqueous phase was achieved. Complex formation between Cu(II) and LIX84-I was identified via visual identification of a green cloudy powder. The extraction behavior of Cu(II) with the polymeric particles conformed well to Langmuir-type adsorption. However, when considering the purity of LIX84-I, it was suggested that two LIX84-I molecules reacted with one Cu(II) ion in the polymeric particles. Furthermore, the Fourier transform infrared spectrum showed an interaction between the polymeric particle wall and extractant. In addition, the electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum indicated that the structure of the LIX84-I-Cu(II) complex in the polymeric particles is a distorted octahedral structure composed of two LIX84-I, which consist of two nitrogen and two oxygen atoms, and two water molecules in axial positions of complex molecules, and its geometrical structure is similar to that in the solvent extraction system.