Coprecipitation of tellurium(IV), tungsten(VI), and lanthanum(III) hydroxides from aqueous solutions

Abstract

We have investigated the coprecipitation of tellurium(IV), tungsten(VI), and lanthanum(III) hydroxides through the addition of aqueous ammonia to a mixture of tellurium dioxide, lanthanum oxide, and tungstic acid solutions in hydrochloric acid. The effects of initial solution composition and precipitation pH on the composition of the precipitate have been assessed. It has been shown that the composition of the precipitate is essentially identical to that of the starting solution if the relative contents of lanthanum and tungsten in the mixture are within 20 mol % and precipitation is ceased at pH 7.