In this work, trioctyl methyl ammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) was studied for its ability to extract propionic acid at various amine concentrations. The extraction of propionic acid with Aliquat 336 dissolved in five single solvents (cyclohexane, hexane, toluene, methyl isobutyl ketone, and ethyl acetate) and binary solvents (hexane + MIBK, hexane + toluene, and MIBK + toluene) was investigated under various experimental conditions. The loading factors Z, extraction efficiency E and overall particular distribution coefficients were determined. All measurements were carried out at T = 298.15 K. The obtained results and the observed phenomena were discussed by taking into consideration the mechanism of extraction and the concentration of the interaction product in the aqueous phase. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.