Abstract:
Cuprous organohaloaluminates and cuprous organohaloborates possessing the general formula CuMRX3 wherein M is a boron or aluminum atom, X is a chlorine, bromine or fluorine atom, and R is a monovalent lower alkyl radical, phenyl radical, alkylaryl radical or substituted alkyl phenyl or alkylaryl radical, readily complex with olefins, diolefins, acetylenes, aromatics, carbon monoxide, etc. The cuprous organohaloaluminates and cuprous organohaloborates are employed in the separation and recovery of complexible ligands from feedstreams containing the same. Typically, a feedstream containing a complexible ligand is contacted with a liquid sorbent system comprising the cuprous organohaloaluminate and/or cuprous organohaloborate. The complexible ligands contained in the feedstream complex with the organometal compositions and are ultimately recovered therefrom by a ligand exchange operation generally requiring n-l ligand exchange operations for n complexed complexible ligands to be separated and recovered. The separation in each of the ligand exchange operations is accomplished by contacting the organometal-complexible ligand complex with a stripping ligand that forms a more stable complex with the organometallic material than the complexible ligand or ligands, thereby exchanging the stripping complexible ligand or ligands in the original sorbent complex.