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Mesostructuring in Liquid-Liquid Extraction Organic Phases Originating from Critical Points
Michael J Servis1, G B Stephenson2
1Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States.
Abstract:
Organic phase structure plays an important role in solute extraction energetics and phase behavior of liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) systems. For a binary extractant (amphiphile)/solvent mixture of relevance to LLE, we find that the organic phase mesostructuring is consistent with extractant concentration fluctuations as the compositional isotherm traverses the Widom line above its liquid-liquid critical point. This reveals a different mechanism for the well-documented heterogeneities in LLE organic phases that are typically attributed to micellization.
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