Recovery of Platinum and Palladium from Chloride Solutions by a Thiodiglycolamide Derivative

The liquid-liquid extraction of platinum(IV) and palladium(II) from hydrochloric acid media was carried out using N,N’-dimethyl-N,N’-dicyclohexylthiodiglycolamide (DMDCHTDGA) in 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCE). Pt(IV) is efficiently extracted from 5 M HCl onwards (%E ≥ 97%), whereas Pd(II) is quantitatively recovered from 1 to 8 M HCl solutions. Both Pt(IV) and Pd(II) can be successfully stripped from the loaded organic phases, the former with a 1 M HCl solution, the latter with 0.1 M thiourea in 1 M HCl. The maximum loading capacity of DMDCHTDGA for Pt(IV) could not be determined but it is high, since molar ratios extractant:Pt(IV) within 2 and 3 have been achieved. Data obtained from successive extraction-stripping cycles suggest a good stability profile of DMDCHTDGA towards Pt(IV) recovery. Attempts to replace 1,2-DCE by more environmentally-friendly diluents showed, in general, comparable %E for Pt(IV). The study of the influence of acidity, as well as chloride ion and DMDCHTDGA concentrations, allows a ...