ABSTRACT
Sulfoxides are rather strong electron donors and act as typical solvating extractants.
Thus, they extract metals as salts at moderate to high concentrations of mineral acids,
and the efficiency and selectivity of the extraction can largely be controlled by the nature
and concentration of electrolytes in the aqueous phase. Extracted metals can simply be
stripped with appropriately diluted acid solutions, and presence of complexing agents
in the aqueous phase is not typically needed for enhancement of the stripping efficiency. In the extraction of metals by acidic extractants, sulfoxides can be powerful synergists.
