SBIR Phase I: Novel Methodology for Purification and Separation of Platinum Group Metals

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将从酸性氯化物介质中合成对铂族金属（PGMs）具有高选择性的新型双季胺。国家的最先进的分子建模技术将被用来预测结构可能有一个高亲和力的感兴趣的阴离子。 由于两个氮原子和多价离子之间的空间相互作用增加，预计双季胺具有比可比的单季胺大得多的选择性。这些化合物将有助于使用溶剂萃取技术从贱金属中分离和纯化高价值金属，如铂、钯和铑。 将合成双季胺，表征，然后与已经用于铂族金属分离的现有单季胺（Aliquat 336）进行比较评估。 改进铂族金属的分离将导致金属成本的降低，促进再循环（例如汽车尾气催化剂），从而最大限度地减少美国对进口铂族金属供应的依赖。 这些新的双季胺将主要应用于贵金属精炼。 此外，它们还可用于分离和纯化锕系元素，如钚，以及用于预浓缩痕量水平的某些阴离子（如铬酸盐、砷酸盐），以帮助环境分析

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will synthesize novel diquaternary amines with a high selectivity towards platinum group metals (PGMs) from acidic chloride media. State-of-the-art molecular modeling techniques will be utilized to predict structures likely to have a high affinity for the anions of interest. The diquaternary amines are predicted to have a much greater selectivity than comparable monoquaternary amines due to increased steric interactions between the two nitrogens and the polyvalent ion of interest. These compounds will facilitate the separation and purification of high value metals, such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, from base metals using solvent extraction techniques. The diquaternary amines will be synthesized, characterized and then evaluated in comparison with an existing monoquaternary amine (Aliquat 336) that has already been used in PGMs separation. Improved separation of PGMs will lead to a reduction in metal costs, facilitate recycling (e.g. auto exhaust catalysts) and thus minimize the dependence of the United States on imported PGM supplies. These novel diquaternary amines will primarily have applications in precious metal refining. Additionally, they could also be used in the separation and purification of actinides, such as plutonium, and in the preconcentration of trace levels of certain anions (e.g. chromate, arsenate) to aid in environmental analysis