Abstract

M. Dhinakaran, E. Antony Bertie Morais and N. Nagendra Gandhi*

The separation of 2,6 - xylidine from 2,4 /2,6 - xylidine mixtures in hydrotrope solutions was carried out. The aqueous solubilities of 2,4 - xylidine and 2,6 -xylidine in different hydrotropic concentrations (0-3.0 mol/L) of sodium cumene sulfonate , citric acid and nicotinamide solutions at different system temperatures (303 to 333 K ) were studied. The percentage extraction of 2,6- xylidine from 2,4 /2,6 - xylidine mixture increases with increase in hydrotrope concentration and also with system temperature, and sodium cumene sulfonate were found to be effective for the selective extraction of 2,6- xylidine with a recovery of 90% from the aqueous solution of hydrotropes with high purity. The process was further optimized with respect to concentration of hydrotropes and temperature of extraction. The effectiveness of hydrotropes was measured in terms of Setschnew constant, Ks and reported for all hydrotropes used in this study. The solubility data are also fitted in a polynomial equation as the function of hydrotrope concentration. The solubilized material has been recovered by dilution with distilled water.

Hydrotropy; Extraction; Enhanced solubility; Separation

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