Selective recognition and extraction of the uranyl ion from aqueous solutions with a recyclable chelating resin

An ion exchange polymer 1, incorporating a chelating ligand engineered for the uranyl ion was prepared and its ability to remove uranium from aqueous solutions was studied. The chelating module was shown to form a 1 : 1 complex with the uranyl ion in solution. Comparisons of 1 with the standard imidodiacetate chelating resin, Chelex 100 were performed in uranyl extraction experiments. 1 effectively extracts uranyl ion from aqueous solutions, including spiked seawater, and is fully recyclable for at least 15 extraction cycles.