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Why is methyl isobutyl ketone used in niobium processing?
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niobium processing
Four one-millimetre thick samples of niobium metal foil.
In niobium processing, methyl isobutyl ketone is used as an organic solvent during the liquid-liquid extraction process to separate niobium from tantalum.12
Because niobium and tantalum are chemically very similar, separating them is a complex task. During this process, the metals are dissolved in an acidic aqueous solution, to which methyl isobutyl ketone is added. This solvent selectively extracts the tantalum as a fluoride into the organic phase, while the niobium remains in the aqueous residue, or raffinate. This separation is a critical step in producing high-purity niobium.21