Studies on the Stability and Deactivation Mechanism of Immobilized Ionic Liquids in Catalytic Esterification Reactions

Solid-supported ionic liquid catalysts (SILs) are the simplest form of a heterogenized ionic liquid and have attracted soaring attention because of the high catalytic activity as well as separation. Unfortunately, instability severely hinders their practical application, and the reason for the deactivation of SILs has not been investigated in detail. In the present study, the immobilized ionic liquid catalysts MIL-101-[IA-SO₃H][HSO₄] and MIL-101-[IA-COOH][HSO₄] were prepared and used to study the stability in the esterification reaction. The results show that compared with MIL-101-[IA-COOH][HSO₄], MIL-101-[IA-SO₃H][HSO₄] has a higher catalytic activity and a lower stability. The deactivation mechanism is discussed based on experiments and theoretical analysis: the protons on -SO₃H dissociate in a polar solvent and combine with anion HSO₄^-, and then, the formative H₂SO₄ molecule will leach out into the solvent. Our discussion indicates that the stability of immobilized ionic liquids is determined by the substituents of ionic liquid cations and becomes the significant factor controlling the stability limits. The study presented here would be important for understanding the deactivation reason and can help in choosing the suitable cation to avoid leaching of the active site during the reaction.

Experimental and DFT studies on the ultrasonic energy-assisted extraction of the phytochemicals of Catharanthus roseus as green corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in NaCl medium

Catharanthus roseus (Apocynaceae family) extract is rich in organic phytochemicals such as alkaloids, polyphenolic compounds, and flavonoids. It contains several functional entities such as fused heterocycles, and hydroxyl and carbonyl groups, which could be useful for corrosion inhibition of mild steel in NaCl environments. In the present work, ultrasonic energy was used to obtain the ethanolic extracts of root and stem which were then tested as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in the presence of 3.5% NaCl. The corrosion inhibition process was studied by UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, weight loss, and electrochemical methods. After immersing in the corrosive medium, the microstructures of mild steel were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and ellipsometry. The extract of C. roseus showed excellent adsorption on mild steel surface as confirmed by DFT calculations. The results indicate that the extract of C. roseus acts as a mixed type corrosion inhibitor, where the stem extract is the most efficient inhibitor in 3.5% NaCl solution possibly due to the higher active area of stem phytochemicals.

C. roseus phytochemicals are physisorbed on the 111 Fe surface, and the oxygen non-bonding electron chemisorbed on the polarized state 111 Fe surface.