Mixture of HIBA and glycolic acid as eluent for effective separation of yttrium and dysprosium by HPLC

A mixture of 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropanoic acid (HIBA) and glycolic acid, with 1-octanesulfonate (OS) as hydrophobic ion proved to be successful for the separation of rare-earth elements (REE). If the ratio of HIBA and glycolic acid is suitably adjusted, it is possible to separate Y from Dy. The resolution of Y and Dy was further improved by controlling the concentration of HIBA and glycolic acid. The technique was applied successfully to the separation and analysis of highly pure Y sub 2 O sub 3 and Dy sub 2 O sub 3 .