Thorium recovery

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING THORIUM VALUES DISSOLVED IN A WATER SOLUTION WHICH COMPRISES; CONTACTING SAID SOLUTION WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY WATER-IMMISCIBLE ALKYL SUBSTITUTED PHOSPHORIC ACID EXTRACTANT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MONO- AND DIALKYL SUBSTITUTED ORTHOPHOSPHORIC ACIDS AT LEAST 4 MOLAR EQUIVALENTS OF SAID ALKYL SUBSTITUTED PHOSPHORIC ACID BEING PRESENT FOR EACH MOLAR EQUIVALENT OF THORIUM VALUES DISSOLVED IN SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION THEREBY TO EXTRACT SAID THORIUM VALUES FROM SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION INTO SAID ALKYL PHOSPHORIC ACID EXTRACTANT, THE ALKYL GROUPS OF SAID SUBSTITUTED ORTHOPHOSPHORIC ACID EACH CONTAINING FROM 2 TO ABOUT 20 ATOMS, CONTACTING SAID THORIUM-LADEN EXTRACT WITH SULFURIC ACID OF FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 9 MOLAR CONCENTRATION THEREBY TO PRECIPITATE THE THORIUM VALUES THEREFROM THE AMOUNT OF SAID SULFURC ACID ADDED BEING AT LEAST STOICHIOMETRICALLY EQUIVALENT TO THE AMOUNT OF SAID ALKYL SUBSTITUTED PHOSPHORIC ACID REACTED WITH SAID THORIUM VLAUES, AND SEPARATING THE PRECIPITATED THORIUM VLAUES FROM BOTH THE SUBSTANTIALLY THORIUM FREE ALKYL SUBSTITUTED PHOSPHORIC ACID EXTRACTANT AND SAID SULFURIC ACID.