Insight into the Liquid–Liquid Extraction System AuCl4−/HCl/A327H+Cl− Ionic Liquid/Toluene

Abstract

The ionic liquid A327H+Cl− is generated by reaction of the tertiary amine A327 (industrial mixture of tri-octyl and tri-decyl amines) and hydrochloric acid solutions. In this study, the extraction of Au(III) by A327H+Cl− ionic liquid under various variables, including metal and ionic liquid concentrations, was investigated. Results indicate that A327H+AuCl4− is formed by an exothermic (ΔH° = −3 kJ/mol) reaction in the organic solution. Aqueous ionic strength influences the formation constant values, and the specific interaction theory (SIT) was used to estimate the interaction coefficient between AuCl4− and H+. Gold (III) was stripped using thiocyanate media, and from the strip solutions, gold was precipitated as gold nanoparticles.