skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Separation of compounds with multiple -OH groups from dilute aqueous solutions via complexation with organoboronate

Thesis/Dissertation ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10182364· OSTI ID:10182364
 [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

The complexing extractant agent investigated in this work is 3-nitrophenylboronic acid (NPBA) in its anionic form (NPB). NPBA and Aliquat 336 (quaternary amine) is dissolved in 2-ethyl-l-hexanol, and the extractant is contacted with aq. NaOH. Solutes investigated were 1,2-propanediol, glycerol, fructose, sorbitol and lactic acid. Batch extraction experiments were performed at 25°C. Partition coefficients, distribution ratios and loadings are reported for varying concentrations of solute and NPB. All solutes complexed with NPB-, with all complexes containing only one NPB- per complex. The 1:1 complexation constants for the solutes glycerol, fructose and sorbitol follow trends similar to complexation with B(OH)4- (aq.), i.e. the complexation constants increase with increasing number of -OH groups available for complexation. Assumption of 1:1 complex is not valid for 1, 2-propanediol, which showed overloading (more than one mole of solute complexed to one mole NPB-) at higher concentrations. The -OH group on the NPB- which is left uncomplexed after one solute molecule had bound to the other two -OH groups may be responsible for the overloading. Overloading is also observed in extraction of tactic acid, but through a different mechanism. It was found that TOMA+ can extract lactic acid to an extent comparable to the uptake of lactic acid by NPB-. The complexation is probably through formation of an acid-base ion pair. Losses of NPBA into the aqueous phase could lead to problems, poor economics in industrial separation processes. One way of overcoming this problem would be to incorporate the NPBA onto a solid support.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF00098
OSTI ID:
10182364
Report Number(s):
LBL-32430; ON: DE92041201
Resource Relation:
Other Information: TH: Thesis (M.S.); PBD: May 1992
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English