Extraction of potassium p-nitrophenoxide with macrocyclic crown ethers and cryptands from aqueous medium into diverse organic solvents: a systematic evaluation

A systematic study has been made of the extraction of potassium p-nitrophenoxide from aqueous medium into a number of organic solvents that are immiscible or partly miscible with water, in the presence of several macrocyclic crown ether and cryptand complexing agents. The efficiency of extraction varies extremely widely with the nature of the ligand and the solvent. For some solvent systems, DC-18-C-6 is more efficient than [2.2.2] cryptand as an extradant. The extraction values, however, provide only limited insight into the fundamental reasons behind the observed results. Hence equilibria involved have been considered and the results analysed in terms of the equilibrium constants. The microscopic and macroscopic properties of these systems are discussed.