Effective Spectrophotometric Quantification of Yttrium Using Clayton Yellow Dye in Different Rare Earth Concentrates

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Nuclear Materials Authority, P.O. Box 530, El-Maadi, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

A highly sensitive, direct, and precise method for the determination of yttrium (III) via spectrophotometry has been developed. This procedure relies on the formation of an orange-colored complex, exhibiting its maximum absorbance at 499 nm. This complex is formed through the reaction between yttrium (III) and Clayton Yellow (CY) reagent in a citrate buffer solution at pH 5. The FTIR analysis confirmed the yttrium-CY complex, revealing a potential interaction mechanism between reactive groups on the CY dye and the yttrium (III) ions. Several criteria were scrutinized to optimize the formed yttrium-CY complex. These included assessing the acid type, optimal pH, dye concentration, evaluating the temporal stability of the complex, and establishing the calibration curve for yttrium concentration. The complex was found to have an average molar absorptivity (ε) 0.54×104 M−1.cm−1 with Sandell's sensitivity of 1.67×10-2. Beer's law was applied within the 0.06 to 12 μg mL−1 range. Under ideal conditions, it has been determined that, the stoichiometry of the reaction between the CY reagent and yttrium (III) is 1:5. The limit of detection (LOD) is found to be 0.06 μg mL−1. Utilizing the first derivative spectrophotometric approach, the measurement of yttrium within the rare earth elements (REE) exhibited remarkable sensitivity and precision.

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Volume 67, Issue 13 - Serial Number 13
In Loving Memory of Late Professor Doctor ””Mohamed Refaat Hussein Mahran””
December 2024
Pages 633-642
  • Receive Date: 07 March 2024
  • Revise Date: 01 May 2024
  • Accept Date: 08 May 2024