A nex immobilized hydroxypyridinone as a sequestering agent for heavy metal ions

Abstract
New chelating solid matrices were developed for the removal of hard heavy metal ions (ex: Fe ³⁺, Al ³⁺. Pu ⁴⁺) from water solutions. They are based on the immobilization of 3-hydroxy-4-pyridinone (HP) amino-derivatives by covalent binding to epoxy-activated Sepharose gels, through amine linkages. These HP-functionalized gels are able to strongly chelate those metal ions though formation of 1:1 (metal: HP) complexes. They possess a much higher stability and capacity for sequestering this type of metal ions and in a wider range of pH than the corresponding analogous gels, which involve the CNBr-activated sepharose and have amide/isoureia bonds as the ligand-matrix points of attachment.