Ionic liquids as green solvents have shown important application in the extraction and separation of nonferrous metals.The new application perspective,the important fundamental and the applied studies of the extraction and separation of nonferrous metals in ionic liquids,including the dissolution and corrosion of metal and metal oxide,hydrometallurgy of chalcopyrite and metallic oxidized ore,and extraction and separation of metal ions,are introduced.
Quantum chemical calculation was used to estimate the reduction potentials of 25 organic cations and the oxidation potentials of 11 anions.This information was used to select promising cations and anions for the preparation of ionic liquids as green electrolytes for electrodeposition of active metals.The reasonable linear correlations between the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital(LUMO)energies and the reduction potentials of cations,and the linear relationships between the oxidation potentials and the highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO)energies of anions were obtained.The orders of electrochemical stability for cations and anions being obtained agree well with the experimental measurements.The suitable ionic liquids with sufficiently wide electrochemical windows for electrodeposition of active metals are suggested to be[Emim]NTf2,[Bmim]NTf2,[Bmim]BF4, [Bmim]PF6,[Bmim]CTf3,[Emim]BF4,[Emim]PF6,[Emim]CTf3..
The electrodeposition and electrochemical behaviors of rare earths in different ionic liquids are summarized. It is demonstrated that most of the rare earths can be electrodeposited in ionic liquids except cerium. Anion of ionic liquids appears to play a significant role in determining the electrochemical windows, and then deciding whether the corresponding ionic liquids can be used for rare earths electrodeposition. The electrochemical behaviors of the reduction process in ionic liquids are similar to those in high-temperature molten salts. The reduction of RE(III) to RE(II) has different reversibility, but the reaction of rare earths to their zerovalent state is irreversible.
