Dynamic solvation in phosphonium ionic liquids: comparison of bulk and micellar systems and considerations for the construction of the solvation correlation function, C(t)

Group Contribution Estimation of Ionic Liquid Melting Points: Critical Evaluation and Refinement of Existing Models

While several group contribution method (GCM) models have been developed in recent years for the prediction of ionic liquid (IL) properties, some challenges exist in their effective application. Firstly, the models have been developed and tested based on different datasets; therefore, direct comparison based on reported statistical measures is not reliable. Secondly, many of the existing models are limited in the range of ILs for which they can be used due to the lack of functional group parameters. In this paper, we examine two of the most diverse GCMs for the estimation of IL melting point; a key property in the selection and design of ILs for materials and energy applications. A comprehensive database consisting of over 1300 data points for 933 unique ILs, has been compiled and used to critically evaluate the two GCMs. One of the GCMs has been refined by introducing new functional groups and reparametrized to give improved performance for melting point estimation over a wider range of ILs. This work will aid in the targeted design of ILs for materials and energy applications.

Solvent and rotational relaxation of coumarin-153 and coumarin-480 in ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate) modified sodium 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (NaAOT) micelle

Understanding ion transport dynamics, structure of surfactant aggregates in ionic liquids or ionic liquid/water solutions are quite interesting and potentially important due to widespread applications of surfactant-based systems. In this manuscript we have investigated the effect of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (bmimBF(4)) addition on solvent and rotational relaxation of coumarin-153 (C-153) and coumarin-480 (C-480) in aqueous solution of sodium 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (NaAOT) using steady state and picosecond time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The strong adsorption of the bmim(+) at the interface and the role of the ionic liquid particularly the cation bmim(+) in the modification of the interfacial geometry were probed by the analysis of decay parameters and the rotational relaxation parameters. Since the addition of the NaAOT in water-bmimBF(4) mixture above critical micellar concentration (48 mM, obtained from observing pyrene fluorescence) causes strong adsorption of the ionic liquid particularly the cation bmim(+), the average solvation time, particularly the slow component increases significantly. More importantly we have found the probe dependent solvation dynamics due to the different location of the probe molecules, C-153 and C-480. C-153 being hydrophobic in nature resides in the stern layer and the adsorption of the bmim(+) at the interface modifies stern layer more effectively. So we have observed more pronounced change in solvation dynamics in case of C-153 compared to that in case of C-480. The fluorescence anisotropy decays of the probe molecules were found to be biexponential in nature. The anisotropy decay was interpreted by using a model which consists of the wobbling (rotational) and translational diffusion of the dye coupled with the rotational motion of the micelle as a whole.

Aggregation behavior of Triton X-100 with a mixture of two room-temperature ionic liquids: can we identify the mutual penetration of ionic liquids in ionic liquid containing micellar aggregates?

In this manuscript, we have characterized two different micellar aggregates containing all nonvolatile components. We have shown (i) the effect of ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) addition on the properties of micellar solution of Triton X-100 in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (bmimPF(6)) and (ii) the effect of bmimPF(6) addition on the properties of micellar solution of Triton X-100 in EAN. To investigate the effect, we have used (1)H NMR, pulsed-field gradient spin-echo NMR (PFGSE NMR), and methyl orange (MO) and coumarin 153 (C-153) as absorption and emission probes, respectively. The penetration of added EAN inside the Triton X-100/bmimPF(6) micellar aggregates is indicated by (i) red shift in both the absorption spectra of MO and emission spectra of C-153 and (ii) downfield shift of proton signals of ethylene oxide units in Triton X-100. On the other hand, (1)H NMR and PFGSE NMR indicates the penetration of added bmimPF(6) inside the Triton X-100/EAN micellar aggregates. However, the constancy of both the absorption spectra of MO and emission spectra of C-153 indicates that the microenvironment around the probe molecules remains unaffected. We have also investigated the effect of micelle formation and the effect of penetration of ionic liquids (ILs) in micellar aggregates, on the solvation dynamics of C-153. The solvent relaxation around C-153 gets retarded on going from neat ILs to the micellar solution of Triton X-100 in ILs. In addition to this, we have also observed that with the addition of EAN in Triton X-100/bmimPF(6) micellar aggregates the solvation dynamics becomes faster, whereas with the addition of bmimPF(6) in Triton X-100/EAN micellar aggregates we did not observe any notable change in solvation dynamics. This observation further supports the conclusions drawn from UV-visible and NMR studies.

Enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose in ionic liquids: a green approach toward the production of biofuels

We investigated the reactivity and stability of a commercial mixture of cellulases in eight ionic liquids by optical and calorimetric techniques. First, hydrolysis by cellulases from Tricoderma reesei in these ionic liquids was benchmarked against that in aqueous buffer. Only 1-methylimidazolium chloride (mim Cl) and tris-(2-hydroxyethyl)methylammonium methylsulfate (HEMA) provided a medium in which hydrolysis could occur. While hydrolysis at 65 degrees C is initially much faster in buffer than in these two liquids, it reaches a plateau after 2 h, whereas the reaction progresses monotonically in the two ionic liquids. This difference in the rate of hydrolysis is largely attributed to two factors: (1) the higher viscosity of the ionic liquids and (2) the enzymes are irreversibly denatured at 50 degrees C in buffer while they are stable to temperatures as high as 115 degrees C in HEMA. We explored whether fluorescence quenching of aromatic amino acids of the enzymes was indeed a signature of protein denaturation, as has been suggested in the literature, and concluded that quenching is not necessarily associated with denaturation. When it does occur, for example, in the presence of ionic liquids formed from imidazolium cations and chloride anions, it arises from the imidazolium rather than the chloride. Finally, we conclude that HEMA is a promising, novel, green medium for performing cellulose hydrolysis reactions to convert biomass into biofuels. Because of the thermal stability it imparts to enzymes, its ability to solubilize biomass, and the fact that it does not quench tryptophyl fluorescence (thus permitting monitoring of the enzymes by fluorescence spectroscopy), HEMA provides an ideal starting point for the design of ionic liquids, not only for the hydrolysis of biomass, but also for use with a wide spectrum of enzymatic reactions.

Ionic liquids in analytical chemistry

The role of ionic liquids (ILs) in analytical chemistry is increasing substantially every year. A decade ago there were but a handful of papers in this area of research that were considered curiosities at best. Today, those publications are recognized as seminal articles that gave rise to one of the most rapidly expanding areas of research in chemical analysis. In this review, we briefly highlight early work involving ILs and discuss the most recent advances in separations, mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, and electroanalytical chemistry. Many of the most important advances in these fields depend on the development of new, often unique ILs and multifunctional ILs. A better understanding of the chemical and physical properties of ILs is also essential.

Dynamics of solvent and rotational relaxation of Coumarin 153 in a room temperature ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium octyl sulfate, forming micellar structure

The solvent and rotational relaxation of Coumarin 153 (C-153) was investigated by picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy in a room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium octyl sulfate ([C4mim][C8SO4]). This is a typical RTIL, which form micellar structure above certain concentration of the RTIL (0.031 M). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements show that the average hydrodynamic diameter ( Dh) of a [C4mim][C8SO4]-water micelle is 2.8 (+/-0.2) nm. Both the solvent and rotational relaxation of C-153 are retarded in this micelle compared to the solvation time of a similar type of dye in neat water. However, the solvent relaxation in this ionic liquid surfactant is different from that of a conventional ionic surfactant. The slow component of the solvation dynamics in C8H17SO4Na or TX-100 micelle is on the nanoseconds time scale, whereas in [C4mim][C8SO4] micelle the same component is on the subnanoseconds time scale. The different molecular motions with different time scale is the main reason behind this difference in the solvation time in micelles composed of RTIL with other conventional micelles.