Highly efficient and selective membrane transport of silver(I) using hexathia-18-crown-6 as a specific ion carrier

Hexathia-18-crown-6 (HT18C6) was used as a specific ion carrier for the transport of silver ion through a chloroform bulk liquid membrane. In the presence of thiosulfate ion as a suitable stripping agent in the receiving phase, the amount of silver transported across the liquid membrane after 60 min is 99.5±1.0%. The selectivity of Ag⁺ transport from the aqueous solutions containing other Mⁿ⁺ cations such as Tl⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Cr³⁺ ions was investigated. Except with Hg²⁺ ion, non of the cations used interfere the silver transport, even at a Mⁿ⁺/Ag⁺ molar ratio of 500. The interfering effect of Hg²⁺ ion was successfully eliminated in the presence of EDTA at pH 5.