SURFACTANT EXTRACTION AND DETERMINATION OF RUTHENIUM(III) AS A THIOCYANATO COMPLEX

Ruthenium(III) was reacted to form a complex with thiocyanate, and ext racted into the surfactant phase with Zephiramine (Z) by heating. The structure of this ion-pair was estimated to be [RuX(2)(SCN)(2)](-). Z( +), in which X was a chloride ion, and was observed to cause an increa sing absorbance and a blue shift of the spectrum. The determination of ruthenium(III) was investigated by the surfactant extraction-spectrop hotometric method using a nonionic surfactant of Triton X-100 as an ex traction solvent. The molar absorptivity was equal to 1.16x10(4) dm(3) cm(-1) mol(-1) at 565 nm. Ruthenium(III) could be concentrated from t he solution into a surfactant phase having a small volume. The first-o rder derivative spectroscopic method was used to reduce the interferen ce from other platinum-group elements, such as osmium.