Copper selective adsorption with a microemulsion‐based resin

Cross‐linked terpolymers of allyl acetylacetone, 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate were synthesized in the oil phase of a bicontinuous microemulsion stabilized with didodecyldimethylammonium bromide. The resulting material is porous, with a surface area of 58 m²/dry g. It selectively adsorbs copper, picking up 0.07 meq/dry g from a 0.1‐M solution. This is less than the total apparent capacity of 0.65 meq/dry g inferred from titration with base and much less than the amount in conventional, nonselective resins, which is typically 5 meq/dry g. Breakthrough curves in packed beds and across membranes of this material seem consistent with uptake controlled by chemical reaction compromised by dispersion. Nonporous membranes of this material do not show facilitated transport.