Patent ID: 8377311

Claim:
A process for separating at least one first material from a mixture comprising the at least one first material and at least one second material, the process comprising: (A) contacting at least one magnetic particle and at least one bifunctional molecule of formula (I) (F 1 ) x -(A) n -(F 2 ) y (I), wherein F 1 is a functional group which selectively binds the at least one magnetic particle, and is selected from the group consisting of phosphonic acid group —OP(OH) 2 and carboxylic acid group —COOH 2 F 2 is a functional group which selectively binds the at least one first material, and is at least one selected from the group consisting of a thiol group —SH, a hydroxy group —OH, a xanthogenate group —OCSSH, a thiolate group —S − , a dihydroxy group, a dithiol group, a thiohydroxy group, and a functional group of formula (III) wherein Y is independently S, NH, or O, X is N, P, or CH 2 , a, b, c, d are each, independently of one another, an integer from 1 to 6, A is at least one structural unit selected from the group consisting of a CRH 2 group where R is hydrogen or a linear or branched hydrocarbon radical having from 1 to 30 carbon atoms, an aromatic or heteroaromatic unit, a cyclic or heterocyclic unit, an unsaturated, branched or unbranched carbon chain having from 2 to 30 carbon atoms, and a heteroatom, n is an integer from 1 to 100, x is an integer from 1 to 4, and y is an integer from 1 to 4, or a product of the two, with the mixture comprising the at least one first material and at least one second material, to form an adduct from the at least one magnetic particle, the bifunctional compound of formula (I) and the at least one first material; (B) suspending the adduct obtained in the contacting (A) in a suitable suspension medium, to give a suspended adduct; (C) separating the suspended adduct from the suspending (B) from the suspension by application of a magnetic field, to give a separated adduct; (D) dissociating or further processing the separated adduct separated off in (C), in order to obtain the at least one first material.