Protic ionic liquids: solvents with tunable phase behavior and physicochemical properties

Microemulsions with the ionic liquid ethylammonium nitrate: phase behavior, composition, and microstructure

In this study, we investigate properties of microemulsions which consist of the ionic liquid (IL) ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), the nonionic surfactant C12E3 and an n-alkane, namely n-dodecane or n-octane. The compositions of the coexisting phases are calculated from the densities and volumes of the respective phases. Since the interfacial tension between the water-rich and the oil-rich phase in traditional microemulsions (containing water and oil) relates to the microstructure, spinning drop tensiometry is used to measure the interfacial tension σab and to estimate the domain sizes. Finally, measuring the self-diffusion coefficients of all components via the Fourier Transform Pulsed Gradient Spin Echo (FTPGSE) NMR technique allowed distinguishing between continuous and discrete structures. Our results indicate that the general principles underlying water-n-alkane-CiEj microemulsions can indeed be transferred to oil-in-EAN droplet and the respective bicontinuous microemulsions, while differences are observed for EAN-in-oil droplet microemulsions.

3-Dimensional atomic scale structure of the ionic liquid-graphite interface elucidated by AM-AFM and quantum chemical simulations

In situ amplitude modulated atomic force microscopy (AM-AFM) and quantum chemical simulations are used to resolve the structure of the highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG)-bulk propylammonium nitrate (PAN) interface with resolution comparable with that achieved for frozen ionic liquid (IL) monolayers using STM. This is the first time that (a) molecular resolution images of bulk IL-solid interfaces have been achieved, (b) the lateral structure of the IL graphite interface has been imaged for any IL, (c) AM-AFM has elucidated molecular level structure immersed in a viscous liquid and (d) it has been demonstrated that the IL structure at solid surfaces is a consequence of both thermodynamic and kinetic effects. The lateral structure of the PAN-graphite interface is highly ordered and consists of remarkably well-defined domains of a rhomboidal superstructure composed of propylammonium cations preferentially aligned along two of the three directions in the underlying graphite lattice. The nanostructure is primarily determined by the cation. Van der Waals interactions between the propylammonium chains and the surface mean that the cation is enriched in the surface layer, and is much less mobile than the anion. The presence of a heterogeneous lateral structure at an ionic liquid-solid interface has wide ranging ramifications for ionic liquid applications, including lubrication, capacitive charge storage and electrodeposition.

Ultra-Broadband Dielectric and Optical Kerr-Effect Study of the Ionic Liquids Ethyl and Propylammonium Nitrate

Dielectric relaxation (DR) and optical Kerr-effect (OKE) spectra of the archetypal protic ionic liquids ethyl- and propylammonium nitrate (EAN and PAN) have been measured over an unusually large frequency range from 200 MHz to 10 THz at temperatures (mostly) between 5 and 65 °C. Analysis of the low-frequency α-relaxation, associated with the cooperative relaxations of the cations (DR) and anions (OKE) and any clusters present, indicated that ion reorientation in EAN is decoupled from viscosity and occurs via cooperative relaxation involving large-angle jumps rather than rotational diffusion. Detailed consideration of the high-frequency parts of the DR and OKE spectra showed that the observed intensities were a complex combination of overlapping and possibly coupled modes. In addition to previously identified intermolecular H-bond vibrations, there are significant contributions from the librations of the cations and anions. The present assignments were shown to be consistent with the isotopic shifts observed for deuterated EAN.

Phase transition of a quaternary ammonium Gemini surfactant induced by minor structural changes of protic ionic liquids

The aggregation behaviors of a Gemini surfactant [C12H25(CH3)2N(+)(CH2)2N(+)(CH3)2C12H25]Br2(-) (12-2-12) in two protic ionic liquids (PILs), propylammonium nitrate (PAN) and butylammonium nitrate (BAN), were investigated by means of several experimental techniques including small and wide-angle X-ray scattering, the polarized optical microscopy and the rheological measurement. Compared to those in ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), the minor structural changes with only one or two methylene units (-CH2-) increase in cationic chain length of PIL, result in a dramatic phase transition of formed aggregates. The critical micellization concentration was increased in PAN, while no micelle formation was detected in BAN. A normal hexagonal phase was observed in the 12-2-12/PAN system, while the normal hexagonal, bicontinuous cubic, and lamellar phases were mapped in the 12-2-12/BAN system. Such aggregation behavior changes can be ascribed to the weaker solvophobic interactions of 12-2-12 in PAN and BAN. The unique molecular structure of 12-2-12 is also an important factor to highlight such a dramatic phase transition due to the PIL structure change.

Solvation of lithium salts in protic ionic liquids: a molecular dynamics study

The structure of solutions of lithium nitrate in a protic ionic liquid with a common anion, ethylammonium nitrate, at room temperature is investigated by means of molecular dynamics simulations. Several structural properties, such as density, radial distribution functions, hydrogen bonds, spatial distribution functions, and coordination numbers, are analyzed in order to get a picture of the solvation of lithium cations in this hydrogen-bonded, amphiphilically nanostructured environment. The results reveal that the ionic liquid mainly retains its structure upon salt addition, the interaction between the ammonium group of the cation and the nitrate anion being only slightly perturbed by the addition of the salt. Lithium cations are solvated by embedding them in the polar nanodomains of the solution formed by the anions, where they coordinate with the latter in a solid-like fashion reminiscent of a pseudolattice structure. Furthermore, it is shown that the average coordination number of [Li](+) with the anions is 4, nitrate coordinating [Li](+) in both monodentate and bidentate ways, and that in the second coordination layer both ethylammonium cations and other lithiums are also found. Additionally, the rattling motion of lithium ions inside the cages formed by their neighboring anions, indicative of the so-called caging effect, is confirmed by the analysis of the [Li](+) velocity autocorrelation functions. The overall picture indicates that the solvation of [Li](+) cations in this amphiphilically nanostructured environment takes place by means of a sort of inhomogeneous nanostructural solvation, which we could refer to as nanostructured solvation, and which could be a universal solvation mechanism in ionic liquids.

The dissolution behaviour of chitosan in acetate-based ionic liquids and their interactions: from experimental evidence to density functional theory analysis

Herein, both experimental evidence and density functional theory analysis are used to explore the interactions between IL and chitosan.

Ionicity of acetate-based protic ionic liquids: evidence for both liquid and gaseous phases

Low ionicity at high temperatures has been detected for a series of acetate-based protic ionic liquids (PILs), which form neutral components as a result of back proton transfer through an equilibrium shift.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of ionic solvation of individual ions of imidazolium based ionic liquids in significant solution systems by conductance and FT-IR spectroscopy

Exploration of significant interactions in eco-friendly RTILs in some liquid systems with a wide range of applications.

Nonconvective mixing of miscible ionic liquids

Ionic liquids (ILs) are ionic compounds that are liquid at room temperature. We studied the spontaneous mixing behavior between two ILs, ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF6]), and observed notable phenomena. Experimental studies showed that the interface between the two ILs was unusually long-lived, despite the ILs being miscible with one another. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations supported these findings and provided insight into the micromixing behavior of the ILs. We found that not only did the ions experience slow diffusion as they mix but also exhibited significant ordering into distinct regions. We suspect that this ordering disrupted concentration gradients in the direction normal to the interface, thus hindering diffusion in this direction and allowing the macroscopic interface to remain for long periods of time. Intermolecular interactions responsible for this behavior included the O-NH interaction between the EAN ions and the carbon chain-carbon chain interactions between the [BMIM](+) cations, which associate more strongly in the mixed state than in the pure IL state.

Solvent nanostructure, the solvophobic effect and amphiphile self-assembly in ionic liquids

The ability of ionic liquids (ILs) to support amphiphile self-assembly into a range of mesophase structures has been established as a widespread phenomenon. From the ILs evaluated as self-assembly media, the vast majority have supported some lyotropic liquid crystal phase formation. Many neat ionic liquids have been shown to segregate into polar and non-polar domains to form a nanostructured liquid. A very strong correlation between the nanostructure of the ionic liquid and its characteristics as an amphiphile self-assembly solvent has been found. In this review we discuss ionic liquids as amphiphile self-assembly media, and identify trends that can be used to distinguish which ionic liquids are likely to have good promotion properties as self-assembly media. In particular these trends focus on the nanostructure of neat ionic liquids, their solvent cohesive energy density, and the related solvophobic effect. We forecast that many more ILs will be identified as amphiphile self-assembly solvents in the future.

Multiphase chemistry of atmospheric amines

Heterogeneous reactions of amines have been recently shown to play an important role in the formation and transformation of atmospheric aerosols. This perspective summarizes the latest laboratory progress in the multiphase chemistry of amines. Particular emphasis is given to the contributions of amines to new particle formation, growth of submicron particles, and alteration in the physiochemical properties of pre-existing particles, including hygroscopicity, thermostability, density, phase, and optical properties, from exposure to gaseous amines. The atmospheric implications of the multiphase reactions of amines, including the potential impact on direct and indirect climate forcing of aerosols, and future research directions are discussed.

Electrochemical Behavior of Cobaltocene in Ionic Liquids

The electrochemical behavior of cobaltocenium has been studied in a number of room temperature aprotic ionic liquids. Well defined, diffusion controlled, anodic and cathodic peaks were found for the Cc+/Cc (cobaltocenium/cobaltocene) reduction/oxidation on gold, platinum and glassy carbon electrodes. Values of the peak separation parameters suggest quasireversibility or even irreversibility for the redox process. The difference between the ferrocene/ferrocenium and cobaltocenium/cobaltocene couples has been evaluated as equal to (1.350 ± 0.020) V. Values of the cobaltocenium (Cc+) diffusion coefficients D have been calculated on the basis of the Randles-Sevcik equation.

A comparative study on the thermophysical properties for two bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide-based ionic liquids containing the trimethyl-sulfonium or the trimethyl-ammonium cation in molecular solvents

Herein, we present a comparative study of the thermophysical properties of two homologous ionic liquids, namely, trimethyl-sulfonium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide, [S(111)][TFSI], and trimethyl-ammonium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide, [HN(111)][TFSI], and their mixtures with propylene carbonate, acetonitrile, or gamma butyrolactone as a function of temperature and composition. The influence of solvent addition on the viscosity, conductivity, and thermal properties of IL solutions was studied as a function of the solvent mole fraction from the maximum solubility of IL, x(s), in each solvent to the pure solvent. In this case, x(s) is the composition corresponding to the maximum salt solubility in each liquid solvent at a given temperature from 258.15 to 353.15 K. The effect of temperature on the transport properties of each binary mixture was then investigated by fitting the experimental data using Arrhenius' law and the Vogel-Tamman-Fulcher (VTF) equation. The experimental data shows that the residual conductivity at low temperature, e.g., 263.15 K, of each binary mixture is exceptionally high. For example, conductivity values up to 35 and 42 mS·cm(-1) were observed in the case of the [S(111)][TFSI] + ACN and [HN(111)][TFSI] + ACN binary mixtures, respectively. Subsequently, a theoretical approach based on the conductivity and on the viscosity of electrolytes was formulated by treating the migration of ions as a dynamical process governed by ion-ion and solvent-ion interactions. Within this model, viscosity data sets were first analyzed using the Jones-Dole equation. Using this theoretical approach, excellent agreement was obtained between the experimental and calculated conductivities for the binary mixtures investigated at 298.15 K as a function of the composition up to the maximum solubility of the IL. Finally, the thermal characterization of the IL solutions, using DSC measurements, showed a number of features corresponding to different solid-solid phase transitions, T(S-S), with extremely low melting entropies, indicating a strong organizational structure by easy rotation of methyl group. These ILs can be classified as plastic crystal materials and are promising as ambient-temperature solid electrolytes.

Effect of temperature and cationic chain length on the physical properties of ammonium nitrate-based protic ionic liquids

We report a systematic study of the effect of the cationic chain length and degree of hydrogen bonding on several equilibrium and transport properties of the first members of the alkylammonium nitrate protic ionic liquids (PILs) family (ethylammonium, propylammonium, and butylammonium nitrate) in the temperature range between 10 and 40 °C. These properties were observed by means of several experimental techniques, including density, surface tension, refractometry, viscosimetry, and conductimetry. The dilatation coefficients and compressibilities, as well as the Rao coefficients, were calculated, and an increase of these magnitudes with alkyl chain length was detected. Moreover, the surface entropies and enthalpies of the studied PILs were analyzed, and the temperature dependence of the surface tension was observed to be describable by means of a harmonic oscillator model with surface energies and critical temperatures that are increasing functions of the cationic chain length. Moreover, the refractive indexes were measured and the thermo-optic coefficient and Abbe numbers were calculated, and the contribution of the electrostrictive part seemed to dominate the temperature dependence of the electric polarization. The electric conductivity and the viscosity were measured and the influence of the degree of hydrogen bonding in the supercooled liquid region analyzed. Hysteresis loops were detected in freezing-melting cycles and the effect of the length of the alkyl chain of the cation on the size of the loop analyzed, showing that longer chains lead to a narrowing of the supercooled region. The temperature dependence of the conductivity was studied in the Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman (VFT) framework and the fragility indices, the effective activation energies, and the Vogel temperatures obtained. A high-temperature Arrhenius analysis was also performed, and the activation energies of conductivity and viscosity were calculated, showing that these transport processes are governed by two distinct mechanisms. The exponents of the fractional Walden rule for the different compounds were obtained. Finally, the ionicities and fragilities of the studied PILs were analyzed, proving that all the studied PILs are subionic and fragile liquids, with propylammonium nitrate showing the lowest fragility and the greater ionicity of all the studied compounds.

Isopropylammonium formate as a mobile phase modifier for liquid chromatography

Isopropylammonium formate (IPAF), a new alkylammonium formate (AAF) room temperature ionic liquid, has been synthesized from isopropylamine and formic acid and characterized as an organic solvent mobile phase replacement for reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC). Characterization of IPAF solvent properties in water such as pH, conductivity, and viscosity, as well as its synthesis, is described. The LC polarity (P') and the solvent strength (S) parameters are determined to be 6.0 and 2.4, respectively, similar to those same parameters for methanol and acetonitrile. Application of this RTIL is demonstrated as an organic solvent replacement for reversed-phase LC to separate a test mixture of niacinamide, acetophenone and p-nitroaniline. The van Deemter plot profile for several columns of different dimensions, particle size, pore size and stationary phase are compared using an IPAF-water mobile phase. At flow rates above 2 mL/min, on-line mixing of the viscous IPAF with water appears not to be uniform. A flattening of the van Deemter profile is noted for particularly short (50 mm) wide bore (4.6 mm) columns packed with larger particles (10 µm). Small particle longer columns likely facilitated mixing at the beginning of the column generating typical linearly increasing van Deemeter curves. IPAF has been further shown as a function of temperature to be a non-denaturing modifier solvent for the separation of the protein cytochrome c from tryptophan compared to methanol. This is important to show, because the semi-preparative separation of native proteins using AAF mobile phases is the long-term goal of this research program.

Quantifying the Structural Dynamics of Pharmaceuticals in the Glassy State

Structural dynamics in the glassy state of two protic ionic liquids, carvedilol phosphate and procaine hydrochloride, were characterized from analysis of changes in the conductivity relaxation times during physical aging. The obtained relaxation times, having a magnitude exceeding feasible experimental time scales and thus not directly measurable, are consistent with published data from a method that relies on the presence of a secondary relaxation. We also observe a narrowing of the relaxation dispersion, specific to higher frequencies, that is a consequence of the heterogeneous dynamics of deeply supercooled materials.

Structural heterogeneity and unique distorted hydrogen bonding in primary ammonium nitrate ionic liquids studied by high-energy X-ray diffraction experiments and MD simulations

Liquid structure and the closest ion-ion interactions in a series of primary alkylammonium nitrate ionic liquids [C(n)Am(+)][NO(3)(-)] (n = 2, 3, and 4) were studied by means of high-energy X-ray diffraction (HEXRD) experiments with the aid of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Experimental density and X-ray structure factors are in good accordance with those evaluated with MD simulations. With regard to liquid structure, characteristic peaks appeared in the low Q (Q: a scattering vector) region of X-ray structure factors S(Q)'s for all ionic liquids studied here, and they increased in intensity with a peak position shift toward the lower Q side by increasing the alkyl chain length. Experimentally evaluated S(Q(peak))(r(max)) functions, which represent the S(Q) intensity at a peak position of maximum intensity Q(peak) as a function of distance (actually a integration range r(max)), revealed that characteristic peaks in the low Q region are related to the intermolecular anion-anion correlation decrease in the r range of 10-12 Å. Appearance of the peak in the low Q region is probably related to the exclusion of the correlations among ions of the same sign in this r range by the alkyl chain aggregation. From MD simulations, we found unique and rather distorted NH···O hydrogen bonding between C(n)Am(+) (n = 2, 3, and 4) and NO(3)(-) in these ionic liquids regardless of the alkyl chain length. Subsequent ab initio calculations for both a molecular complex C(2)H(5)NH(2)···HONO(2) and an ion pair C(2)H(5)NH(3)(+)···ONO(2)(-) revealed that such distorted hydrogen bonding is specific in a liquid state of this family of ionic liquids, though the linear orientation is preferred for both the N···HO hydrogen bonding in a molecular complex and the NH···O one in an ion pair. Finally, we propose our interpretation of structural heterogeneity in PILs and also in APILs.