Extraction of thallium and indium isotopes as the homologues of nihonium into the ionic liquids

Extraction of thallium and indium, as the homologues of nihonium, from HCl solutions into hydrophobic ionic liquids was studied. In the presence of NaClO₂ as the oxidizing agent, thallium is effectively extracted into all the tested ionic liquids from 0.2 to 5 M HCl. In absence of NaClO₂, thallium extraction strongly depends on the HCl concentration and no extraction of indium was observed. Using [C₆mim][NTf₂] and [Tbma][NTf₂], the thallium/indium separation factors SF(Tl/In) > 4 × 10⁴ can be achieved. Hence, the system with NaClO₂ oxidizing agent can be considered a candidate for the future studies of nihonium chemical properties.