Thermodynamics of Mixing of TEHDGA with Isodecanol in Dodecane: Effect of Equilibration with Aqueous Nitric Acid

The use of any new extractant requires the study of its tendency to form third phases. To understand the phase separation process it is important to have knowledge of the molecular scale phenomena present in the system. This includes the mixing of the substances and the behavior and nature of the aggregates. Here we report the mixing properties of N,N,N′,N′-tetra-(2-ethyl hexyl) diglycolamide (TEHDGA)–dodecane–isodecanol (in the absence and presence of micellar aggregates) which is recognized as a promising system for the separation of minor actinides through the conventional solvent extraction route. The nature of interactions between TEHDGA and isodecanol was investigated using several techniques, including density and speed of sound measurements, ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy and computational studies. The TEHDGA–isodecanol interaction was found to be favored over the inter-isodecanol interaction. On equilibrating the organic phase with nitric acid, some indication of pre-micellar aggregation was obtained. Increase of micellar aggregate size on addition of isodecanol was indicated.