CHROMATOGRAPHIC STUDY OF ANIONIC COMPLEXES. PART V. SEPARATION OF IONS IN PRESENCE OF TARTRATE USING METHANOL AS SOLVENT

Attempts to separate Cu2+, Ni2+, Co2+, Cd2+ and Fe3+ in mixtures by filter paper strip chromatography have been made, using tartrate as complexing agent and aqueous methanol as solvent. The effect of adding varying concentrations of the complexing agent to the solution has been studied. The RL, and RT values have been determined in each case. In general, good separation of ions occurs when total metal to tartrate ratio is below I : I; with higher concentrations of tartrate, separation is not possible. The RL and RT values change with the concentration of ion, and therefore their use in qualitative analysis may be regarded to be limited. But, nevertheless, we have observed that it is possible to separate the ions and detect them on filter paper qualitatively after separation. The figures show clearly the sequence of separation of the ions though the RT values of the ion at the top merges into the RT of the ion separating out next. These results therefore qualitatively show that the complex forming property of the ions may be useful in the separation of these ions from mixtures