Copper Selective Polymeric Extractant Synthesized by Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization.

Novel polymers bearing pendant picolinic acid functionalities have been synthesized by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) for applications in separations-based purification protocols. These polymers and their corresponding monomer were shown to be selective for Cu2+ over a variety of other divalent metal cations as inferred from pH dependent studies carried out under both liquid-liquid and solid-liquid extraction conditions. The polymer system of this study also showed high selectivity for Cu2+ over Ni2+ in mock protocols that could be relevant to the purification of Cu radioisotopes. Separation factors as high as 290 were achieved for extractions from solutions containing a 100-fold excess of Ni2+ relative to Cu2+.