Deuterated malonamide synthesis for fundamental research on solvent extraction systems

Micheau, C.; 上田 祐生; 阿久津 和宏*; Bourgeois, D.*; 元川 竜平

Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange, 41(2), p.221 - 240, 2023/02

https://doi.org/10.1080/07366299.2023.2166351

Malonamide derivatives, which are among the most extensively investigated extractants in solvent extraction of lanthanoids, actinides, and platinum group metal ions, were deuterated by using Pd/C and Rh/C catalysts with a DO/2-propanol mixture. This method enables to replace the hydrogen atoms by deuterium atoms in the malonamide chemical structure with a controllable deuteration rate. The maximum rate reaches 75 percent approximately, determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. In addition, it has been demonstrated that extraction behavior of the malonamide molecules remains unchanged after the deuteration procedure. Deuterated malonamides should be a powerful tool for fundamental researches on solvent extraction systems, in particular, for structural analysis of the organic phases. The large difference in the neutron scattering cross-section between hydrogen and deuterium leads to a large difference in neutron scattering length density of the malonamide derivatives before and after the deuteration reaction. Therefore, using deuterated malonamides in small-angle neutron scattering and neutron reflectivity studies could give access to the nanoscopic structure of the specific solute species in the bulk organic phase and at the liquid-liquid interface, respectively. This deuteration method could become a general one and be extended to a wide variety of extractant molecules. In this way this work contributes to the development of the fundamental researches in solvent extraction systems.