Selective and Active Transport of In3+ through N-Nitroso-N-p-octadecylphenylhydroxylamine Ammonium Salt Impregnated Membrane

Selective and active transport of In3+ was studied through a polypropylene membrane impregnated with N-nitroso-N-p-octadecylphenylhydroxylamine ammonium salt (3). In3+ is selectively concentrated from In3+–Zn2+, In3+–Al3+ and In3+–Zn2+–Al3+ mixtures by an antiport mechanism as a counter flow of H+, respectively. The selective transport of In3+ was found to be attributed to the chelating affinity between 3 and In3+. As a model experiment of the practical use, the separation of In3+ from the solution of containing 10–100 folds of Zn2+ was investigated. The present membrane selectively separates In3+, the separation factor is 200–250. It is suggested that the present membrane system is useful for separation of indium from the ore containing indium such as the zincblende.