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The acid-base behavior of $\mathrm{Fe}(\mathrm{CN})_{6}^{4-}$ was investigated by measuring the formal potentials of the $\mathrm{Fe}(\mathrm{CN})_{6}^{3-}$/ $\mathrm{Fe}(\mathrm{CN})_{6}^{4-}$ couple over a wide range of acidic and neutral solution compositions. The experimental data were fitted to a model taking into account the protonated forms of $\mathrm{Fe}(\mathrm{CN})_{6}^{4-}$ and using values of the activities of species in solution, calculated with a simple solution model and a series of binary data available in the literature. The fitting needed to take account of the protonated species $\mathrm{HFe}(\mathrm{CN})_{6}^{3-}$ and $\mathrm{H}_{2}\mathrm{Fe}(\mathrm{CN})_{6}^{2-}$, already described in the literature, but also the species $\mathrm{H}_{3}\mathrm{Fe}(\mathrm{CN})_{6}^{-}$ (associated with the acid-base equilibrium $\mathrm{H}_{3}\mathrm{Fe}(\mathrm{CN})_{6}^{-}\rightleftharpoons \mathrm{H}_{2}\mathrm{Fe}(\mathrm{CN})_{6}^{2-} + \mathrm{H}^{+}$). The acidic dissociation constants of $\mathrm{HFe}(\mathrm{CN})_{6}^{3-}$, $\mathrm{H}_{2}\mathrm{Fe}(\mathrm{CN})_{6}^{2-}$ and $\mathrm{H}_{3}\mathrm{Fe}(\mathrm{CN})_{6}^{-}$ were found to be $\mathrm{p}K^{\mathrm{II}}_{1}= 3.9\pm0.1$, $\mathrm{p}K^{\mathrm{II}}_{2} = 2.0\pm0.1$, and $\mathrm{p}K^{\mathrm{II}}_{3} = 0.0\pm0.1$, respectively. These constants were determined by taking into account that the activities of the species are independent of the ionic strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular organization of N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-dioctylhexylethoxymalonamide (DMDOHEMA), the current reference extractant for the DIAMEX (DIAMide EXtraction) process, is correlated with its water extraction properties from neutral media. The aggregation of DMDOHEMA in n-heptane was investigated by vapor pressure osmometry (VPO) and the aggregate speciation characterized by combined small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering (SANS and SAXS, respectively). Two approaches were taken to model the aggregation of the diamide and the water extraction as a function of the diamide concentration by taking into account a single aggregation equilibrium with an average aggregation number N equal to 4.28 ± 0.05; and a competition between two types of aggregates in the organic phase, namely, aggregates of the reverse micelle type with 4 diamides per aggregate, and an oligomeric structure composed of about 10 diamide molecules which appears at high extractant concentration (>1 mol/L). In both cases, the supramolecular speciation representing the monomers/aggregates distribution was determined, and for each supramolecular organization, a solubilization parameter was calculated using the Sergievskii-Dannus relationship. Thus, the correlation between the two types of micellization of the diamide and the extraction of water into the organic phase was demonstrated. The larger aggregates can extract about five times more water than monomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]