Separation of the Rare-earth Elements by Means of Fractional Precipitation of Terephthalates.

In the reported experiments, the author has studied the possibility of the rare-earth elements separation by using fractional precipitation of terephthalates in the presence of a complexing agent. Selecting an appropriate quantity of the complexing agent, it is possible to obtain fractions differing in their composition. In the first fractions the light lanthanides accumulate, whereas in the last one accumulate Y and heavy lanthanides. The advantage of this method is that the terephthalic acid can be regenerated practically in 100%.