Synthesis of Tert-Octylsalicylaldoxime and Its Application in Extraction of Cu(II)

The alkyl salicylaldoxime has attracted more and more attention recently due to the complex branched alkyl groups. In this study, a novel alkyl salicylaldoxime, tert-octylsalicylaldoxime, was successfully synthesized by the one-pot method. The yield and purity by the elemental analysis were 96.17 and 94.13%, respectively. The structure was confirmed by elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), 13C NMR spectroscopy, and MS. Results showed that tert-octylsalicylaldoxime with a new structure exhibited excellent extraction ability and selectivity for Cu(II) and can be successfully used to recover Cu from copper-nickel alloy electroplating wastewater. Thus, this product has the potential to be used as a powerful copper extractant in the future.