Separation Of Lanthanoids
Lanthanoids are commonly separated by ion-exchange method because:
Select the correct option:
Solution
their +3 ions have very similar chemical properties
Lanthanoids predominantly exist as Ln3+ ions and due to lanthanoid contraction their ionic radii differ only slightly. This leads to very similar chemical behavior, making ordinary chemical separation difficult. Ion-exchange methods exploit small differences in complexation and migration rates to separate them effectively. Therefore the similarity of +3 ions is the key reason.
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About This Question
- Subject
- chemistry
- Chapter
- d- and f-block elements
- Topic
- separation of lanthanoids
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
their +3 ions have very similar chemical properties
Lanthanoids predominantly exist as Ln3+ ions and due to lanthanoid contraction their ionic radii differ only slightly. This leads to very similar chemical behavior, making ordinary chemical separation difficult. Ion-exchange methods exploit small differences in complexation and migration rates to separate them effectively. Therefore the similarity of +3 ions is the key reason.
This hard difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter d- and f-block elements, covering the topic of separation of lanthanoids. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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