The application of three-phase liquid-liquid extraction to the analysis of bismuth and tellurium in sulphide concentrates

An extraction system consisting of one aqueous and two organic phases is described. Diantipyrylmethane (DAM) is used as the extractant for bismuth and tellurium, which are extracted into the smaller of the two organic phases from nitric acid and perchloric acid respectively. The extraction efficiency is in the range of 90 to 95 per cent, compensation for incomplete extraction being made by the technique of standard addition. Copper, lead, and zinc are not extracted in either procedure. When the solutions contain high concentrations of iron, thioglycolic acid is used as a masking agent for iron in the extraction of bismuth. Atomic-absorption spectrophotometry is used for the analysis of the third phase after it has been diluted with methanol. The precision for bismuth and tellurium is in the range of 3 to 4 per cent. The accuracy, as ascertained from comparative analyses of sulphide concentrates, is good