Acid–base extraction


Acid–base extraction is a procedure using sequential liquid–liquid extractions to purify acids together with bases from mixtures based on their chemical properties.: 118–122 

Acid–base extraction is routinely performed during the work-up after chemical syntheses and for the isolation of compounds and natural products like alkaloids from crude extracts. The product is largely free of neutral and acidic or basic impurities. it is not possible to separate chemically similar acids or bases using this simple method.

Limitations


The procedure workings only for acids and bases with a large difference in solubility between their charged and their uncharged form. The procedure does not earn for: