Selective removal of Ag(I) and Cu(II) by plasticizer membranes with n-(diethylthiophosphoryl)-aza[18]crown-6 as a carrier

The competitive transport of equimolar mixtures of Ag(I) and Cu(II) ions from aqueous source phase (cMe = 0.001 mol/dm3) across polymer inclusion membranes PIMs with N-(diethylthiophosphoryl)aza[18]crown-6 as ion carriers, was studied. The influence of pH of source phase and metal concentration on an efficiency of silver(I) transport through polymer inclusion membranes containing cellulose triacetate as the support and o-nitrophenyl pentyl ether as the plasticizer was studied. The transport selectivity order for the PIM with N-(diethylthiophosphoryl)-aza[18]crown-6 was: Ag(I) >> Cu(II). The metal cations transport rate can be explained by size and nature of substituent in lariat ether molecule, which prefer formation of Ag(I) complex in the membrane phase.