Solvent extraction of scandium from malonic acid with high molecular-weight amines.

Scandium is quantitatively extracted with 4% Amberlite LA-1 or Amberlite LA-2 in xylene at pH 2.5-5.5 from 0.1M malonic acid. Scandium is stripped from the organic phase with 0.5M hydrochloric acid and determined spectrophotometrically at 525 nm, as its complex with Alizarin Red S. Primene JM-T, tri-iso-octylamine, tributylamine and tribenzylamine have also been studied as extractants, but found to be unsatisfactory for various reasons. Xylene, toluene, benzene, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, hexane, cyclohexane and kerosene have been studied as diluents. Xylene is found to be the most efficient. Scandium can be separated from most metals by selective extraction, and from gallium, thallium(III), bismuth, antimony(III), chromium(III), copper(II), iron(III), uranium(VI), cerium, zirconium, indium, thorium and titanium by selective stripping, in some cases combined with use of suitable complexing media to retain the other metals in the organic phase.