Polytetraalkylammonium and polytrialkylamine-containing ligands bonded to inorganic supports and processes of using the same for removing and concentrating desired ions from solutions

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As summarized above, the present invention is drawn to novel polytetraalkylammonium and polytrialkylamine-containing hydrocarbon ligands covalently bound through a spacer to a silicon moiety and further attached to a solid support, to form the novel compounds of Formula 1.
The invention is also drawn to the concentration and removal of certain desired anions such as SeO.
sub.
4.
sup.
2-, CrO.
sub.
4.
sup.
2- and transition metal containing complex anions, from other ions in water supplies, waste solutions, and other streams.
The process of the invention is particularly adaptable to recovery of ions from solutions containing large amounts of hydrogen ions and a variety of other pH conditions.
Such solutions from which such ions are to be concentrated and/or recovered are referred to herein as "source solutions.
" In many instances the concentration of desired ions in the source solutions will be much less than the concentration of other ions from which they are to be separated.
The concentration of desired ions is accomplished by forming a complex of the desired ions with a polytetraalkylammonium or protonated polytrialkylamine ligand solid support compound shown in Formula 1 by flowing a source solution containing the desired ions through a column packed with a polytetraalkylammonium or polytrialkylamine ligand-solid support compound to attract and bind the desired ions to the polytetraalkylammonium or polytrialkylamine ligand portion of such compound and subsequently breaking desired anion bound-polytetraalkylammonium or polytrialkylamine ligand compound-complex by flowing a receiving liquid in much smaller volume than the volume of source solution passed through the column to remove and concentrate the desired ions in the receiving liquid solution.
The receiving liquid or recovery solution forms a stronger complex with the desired ions than does the polytetraalkylammonium or polytrialkylamine ligand or forms a stronger complex with the polytetraalkylammonium ligand than does the ion(s) of interest and thus the desired ions are quantitatively stripped from the polytetraalkylammonium or polytrialkylamine ligand containing solid support compound in concentrated form in the receiving solution