Products of the Reaction between Alcohols and Phosphorus Pentoxide: I. Identity and Extractant Efficiency of the Various Products

The product of the reaction P₄O₁₀ + 4ROH, where R is an alkyl radical, is known as a powerful and selective extraction agent. It was found to be a mixture of ortho-, pyro-, tri-, and trimetaphosphate esters, produced by alcoholysis of two-thirds of all the P‒O‒P bonds in phosphorus pentoxide. The solvent-extraction properties with regard to U(IV) from phosphoric acid, of the various isolated compounds were found to be greatly inferior to those of the mixture, but in a few cases the combination of two compounds yielded distribution ratios comparable to those obtained with the total mixture. It may, therefore, be concluded that the powerful extractant properties of such mixtures is due to synergistic effects.