Synthesis of a new organic extractant dodecylphenylcarboxymethyl ketone oxime and its application in copper extraction

A new type of organic extractant (dodecylphenylcarboxymethyl ketone oxime) was synthesized based on the principle of combination of carboxy hydroxyl group and oxime group. The structure of the synthesized dodecylphenylcarboxymethyl ketoxime oxime extractant was characterized by 1H NMR and IR spectra, and its properties were evaluated in the extraction and recovery of copper from copper sulfate solution. The effects of volume ratio (V_O: V_A) of the organic phase to the aqueous phase, initial pH value and extraction time on the recovery of copper were investigated. The Cu²⁺ content was determined by UV-VIS spectrophotometer and the extraction rate was calculated. The experimental results show that under the optimal conditions, V_O: V_A is 1:2, the initial pH is 1.5, the extraction time is 5 min, and the extraction rate is up to 99.61 %. The concentrated sulfuric acid was used as stripping agent to recover the Cu²⁺ from the organic phase, and the results showed that 45.64 % copper could be recovered by stripping with 1 mol/L sulfuric acid and V_O: V_A of 2:1.