Speciation of ruthenium(III) chloro complexes in hydrochloric acid solutions and their extraction characteristics with an amide-containing amine compound

Suzuki, Tomoya*; Ogata, Takeshi*; Tanaka, Mikiya*; Kobayashi, Toru ; Shiwaku, Hideaki   ; Yaita, Tsuyoshi; Narita, Hirokazu*

The refining of platinum group metals is based mainly on solvent extraction methods, whereas Ru is selectively recovered by distillation as RuO. Replacement of distillation byextraction is expected to simplify the purification process. To develop an effective extraction system for Ru, we analyzed the Ru species in HCl with UV-Vis and EXAFS spectroscopies, and we examined the properties of Ru extracted with N-2-ethylhexyl-bis(N-di-2-ethylhexyl-ethylamide) amine (EHBAA). EXAFS and UV-Vis spectra of Ru in HCl solutions revealed that the predominant Ru species in 0.5-10 M HCl solutions changed from [RuCl(HO)] to [RuCl] with the HCl concentration. The extraction percentages of Ru in the EHBAA system increased with increasing HCl concentration, reached 80% at [HCl] = 5 M, and decreased athigher HCl concentrations. EXAFS analysis of the extracted complex indicated that the Ru had 5 Cl and 1 HO in its inner coordination sphere. The similarity of the dependence on HCl concentrations of the extraction in the EHBAA system and the distribution profile of [RuCl(HO)] on [RuCl(HO)] suggested that the EHBAA extracted the pentachlorido species.