Reactive extraction of succinic acid from aqueous solutions with various tertiary amines dissolved in 1-octanol and in n-heptane has been studied as a function of the chain length of the tertiary amine. In the tertiary amine extractants in 1-octanol, the extractabilities of tertiary amines were proportional to their chain length. But, in n-heptane, the extractabilities of tertiary amines decreased with their chain length. In order to analyze chemical interactions involved in the complexation of succinic acid with amine extractants in 1-octanol and n-heptane, infrared (IR) spectroscopy was used. From IR spectroscopy, it was found that the difference of extractability in 1-octanol and in n-heptane was mainly due to the different degree of intramolecular hydrogen bonding of succinic acid with the polarity of diluents. And the possible stoichiometry of acid-amine-diluent complex was predicted as (1,1), (2,1), (1,1,1).
