Liquid–liquid extraction: An adsorption isotherm at divided interface?

We show that liquid–liquid extraction can be described as the equilibrium between two pseudophases of ions: the hydrated state in the water phase and the solvation state when the ions are adsorbed on an organized interface. The extractant is considered as a potential surface where the ions can adsorb. Unlike phenomenological binding “constants”, ion extraction/stripping can be seen as the sum of Langmuir isotherms. The number of aggregated extractants in one reverse micelle in the solvent is at least equal to or higher than the number of extracting molecules complexed at a given instant to the ion to be extracted. Considering extraction equilibrium as a sum of isotherms corresponding to the different states of aggregation of extractant molecule in the solvent, the resulting constant is representative of both the efficiency of the extraction and the structure of the solution. This is a first step toward the development of predictive models for the apparent distribution coefficients.