Extraction of zirconium nitrate by TBP in n-octane: influence of cation type on third phase formation according to the "sticky spheres" model.

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) data for the tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP)-n-octane, HNO(3)-Zr(NO(3))(4) solvent extraction system, obtained under a variety of experimental conditions, have been interpreted using the Baxter model for hard spheres with surface adhesion. The increase in scattering intensity in the low Q range observed when increasing amounts of Zr(NO(3))(4) were extracted into the organic phase was interpreted as arising from interactions between small reverse micelle-like particles containing two to three TBP molecules. Upon extraction of Zr(NO(3))(4), the particles interact through attractive forces between their polar cores with a potential energy that exceeds 2 k(B)T. The interparticle attraction, under suitable conditions, leads to third phase formation. A linear relationship exists between the derivative of the potential energy of attraction with respect to the concentration of nitrate ions in the organic phase and the ionization potential or the hydration enthalpy of the extracted metal cations.