Liquid-Liquid Extraction of Zinc with Aliquat 336-S-Br from Aqueous Bromide Solutions

A new solvent extraction system has been developed for zinc in aqueous bromide solution using Aliquat 336-S-Br-xylene solution as an extractant. A 1 mg/ml zinc solution is extracted essentially quantitatively with an equal volume of 5% Aliquat 336-S-Br-xylene solution in 15 sec. The extracted zinc can be stripped from the nonaqueous layer with a series of aqueous solutions including Na2SO3 (≥m 1.0 M) NaOH (≥m 0.5 M), NH3 (≥m 0.5 M), ethylenediamine (≥m 0.3%), and EDTA (≥m0.5%). The extraction is quantitative only from acidic solutions. High aqueous to organic phase ratios can be utilized without loss of extraction efficiency.