Selective Pd(II) and Pt(IV) sorption using novel polymers containing azamacrocycle functional groups Lı ´dia Garcia, Anna Torrent, Enriqueta Antico ´ * , Cla `udia Fonta `s, Anna Roglans * Department of Chemistry, University of Girona, Campus de Montilivi s/n, 17071 Girona, Spain Received 10 October 2007; received in revised form 7 February 2008; accepted 27 February 2008 Available online 4 March 2008 Abstract The synthesis of a new coordinating polymer containing nitrogen atoms by the copolymerization of a 15-membered triolefinic azamacrocycle, 9, named (E,E,E)-1-[(4-methylphenyl)sulfonyl]-6-[(2-trimethylsilylethyl)sulfonyl]-11-[(4-vinyl- phenyl)sulfonyl)]-1,6,11-triazacyclopentadeca-3,8,13-triene, with styrene is achieved. The novel polymeric material is characterized by means of elemental analysis, IR, 13 C-CP MAS, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques. We also report the study of palladium and platinum sorption from acidic solutions. A capacity of 0.36 mmol g 1 of polymer for Pd(II) and 0.28 mmol g 1 of polymer for Pt(IV) is determined by the batch- mode. The functionalised polymer presents a high selectivity towards precious metals over base metals such us Cu(II) and Ni(II). Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Nitrogen-based polymers; Palladium; Platinum; Sorption 1. Introduction Noble metals have many important applications in different fields, such as technology, medicine and the automobile industry. One particularly sig- nificant application of Pd and Pt together with Rh during the last 20 years has been in participating in the removal of toxic components from spark igni- tion engines in three-way catalytic converters. The increasing demand for platinum group metals (PGMs) for the production of catalysts and related activities, combined with the limited resources avail- able, has led to increasing interest in the recovery of these strategic elements [1,2]. Moreover, a survey of the literature shows that the concentration of PGMs in diverse environmental matrices has significantly increased over the last two decades. Given this situ- ation, it is essential that the amount of Pd and Pt released into the environment and its impact on human health be monitored [3]. Separation of these metal ions is still a difficult task owing to the chemical similarity between Pt and Pd and their complex chemistry. Hydrometal- lurgical techniques have proved useful in the separa- tion and recovery of valuable metals from waste materials. Traditionally, the recovery of these met- als is based on solvent extraction processes, but it 1381-5148/$ - see front matter Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2008.02.012 * Corresponding authors. Tel.: +34 972418276; fax: +34 972418150. E-mail addresses: enriqueta.antico@udg.edu (E. Antico ´), anna.roglans@udg.edu (A. Roglans). Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Reactive & Functional Polymers 68 (2008) 1088–1096 www.elsevier.com/locate/react REACTIVE & FUNCTIONAL POLYMERS