Liu Bing,Jia Yongzhong,Jing Yan,Zhang Quanyou,Shao Fei,Yao Ying
Abstract The lithium isotope separation (LIS) plays a vital role in development of nuclear industry. The liquid–liquid extraction technologies open up new possibilities for LIS. This work presents preliminary results of the study on the extractions and separation of 6 Li/ 7 Li by mixed system, comprising amino-derivatives of benzo-15-crown-5 (4AB), ionic liquid and anisole. 4AB was used as an extractant. The eparation factor ( α ) is 1.031 ± 0.001, and abundance of 6 Li in loaded organic phase is 7.76%. Meanwhile, the reason why 4AB has better separation efficiency than B15C5 was explored brief by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum and quantum chemical calculations. Graphic abstract
Li Cui,Shasha Li,Jin Kang,Caixia Yin,Yanxia Guo,Hongyan He,Fangqin Cheng
Effective separation of lithium isotopes ( 6 Li and 7 Li) is of great importance for the development of nuclear energy. Crown ethers (CEs) are widely used and reported separation systems, but the distribution coefficient of Li ( D Li ) is relatively low by CEs ( D Li , 10 − 2 –10 −5 ) and mainly depends on the anion type of Li salt. Herein, a novel and facile ion-pair strategy by introducing tetrachloridoferrate ([FeCl 4 ] − ) as counter anion is presented, which helps to overcome the Hofmeister bias and facilitates the efficient transfer of Li + from extremely hydrophilic chlorides. An exceptionally high D Li of 54 is achieved for benzo-15-crown-5 (B15C5), surpassing those of solvent extraction from solely Li salt aqueous solution. This strategy also demonstrates good separation performance of 6 Li/ 7 Li. The maximum 6 Li/ 7 Li separation factors ( α 6 L i / 7 L i ) of 1.038 and 1.049 are obtained for B15C5 and benzo-12-crown-4 (B12C4) in dichloroethane at 273 K. The highly efficient phase transfer of Li + can be attributed to the formation of stable [Li(B15C5)(H 2 O)][FeCl 4 ] or [Li(B12C4) 2 ][FeCl 4 ] ion pairs. Theoretical studies based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the coordination and electrostatic environment of Li + plays an essential role in the separation of 6 Li/ 7 Li. Weakening the coordination and electrostatic interactions associated with Li + can facilitate the separation of 6 Li/ 7 Li. Additionally, B15C5 can be easily recycled by using ultra-pure water as the stripping solution. This work provides an industrially promising system for 6 Li/ 7 Li separation.