Picosecond time-resolved fluorescence study on solute-solvent interaction of 2-aminoquinoline in room-temperature ionic liquids: aromaticity of imidazolium-based ionic liquids

Time-resolved fluorescence spectra and fluorescence anisotropy decay of 2-aminoquinoline (2AQ) have been measured in eight room-temperature ionic liquids, including five imidazolium-based aromatic ionic liquids and three nonaromatic ionic liquids. The same experiments have also been carried out in several ordinary molecular liquids for comparison. The observed time-resolved fluorescence spectra indicate the formation of pi-pi aromatic complexes of 2AQ in some of the aromatic ionic liquids but not in the nonaromatic ionic liquids. The fluorescence anisotropy decay data show unusually slow rotational diffusion of 2AQ in the aromatic ionic liquids, suggesting the formation of solute-solvent complexes. The probe 2AQ molecule is likely to be incorporated in the possible local structure of ionic liquids, and hence the anisotropy decays only through the rotation of the whole local structure, making the apparent rotational diffusion of 2AQ slow. The rotational diffusion time decreases rapidly by adding a small amount of acetonitrile to the solution. This observation is interpreted in terms of the local structure formation in the aromatic ionic liquids and its destruction by acetonitrile. No unusual behavior upon addition of acetonitrile has been found for the nonaromatic ionic liquids. It is argued that the aromaticity of the imidazolium cation plays a key role in the local structure formation in imidazolium-based ionic liquids.     

二茂铁在几种离子液体中的迁移行为

采用循环伏安法研究了二茂铁(Fc)在几种离子液体中的迁移行为. 计算了Fc在各离子液体中的扩散系数和粘度系数,探讨了离子液体粘度与离子液体结构之间的关系. 实验结果表明, 离子液体的粘度随阳离子取代基碳链长度的增加而增加, 随阴离子对称性的增加而增加.     

Local structures in ionic liquids probed and characterized by microscopic thermal diffusion monitored with picosecond time-resolved Raman spectroscopy

Vibrational cooling rate of the first excited singlet (S(1)) state of trans-stilbene and bulk thermal diffusivity are measured for seven room temperature ionic liquids, C(2)mimTf(2)N, C(4)mimTf(2)N, C(4)mimPF(6), C(5)mimTf(2)N, C(6)mimTf(2)N, C(8)mimTf(2)N, and bmpyTf(2)N. Vibrational cooling rate measured with picosecond time-resolved Raman spectroscopy reflects solute-solvent and solvent-solvent energy transfer in a microscopic solvent environment. Thermal diffusivity measured with the transient grating method indicates macroscopic heat conduction capability. Vibrational cooling rate of S(1) trans-stilbene is known to have a good correlation with bulk thermal diffusivity in ordinary molecular liquids. In the seven ionic liquids studied, however, vibrational cooling rate shows no correlation with thermal diffusivity; the observed rates are similar (0.082 to 0.12 ps(-1) in the seven ionic liquids and 0.08 to 0.14 ps(-1) in molecular liquids) despite large differences in thermal diffusivity (5.4-7.5 × 10(-8) m(2) s(-1) in ionic liquids and 8.0-10 × 10(-8) m(2) s(-1) in molecular liquids). This finding is consistent with our working hypothesis that there are local structures characteristically formed in ionic liquids. Vibrational cooling rate is determined by energy transfer among solvent ions in a local structure, while macroscopic thermal diffusion is controlled by heat transfer over boundaries of local structures. By using "local" thermal diffusivity, we are able to simulate the vibrational cooling kinetics observed in ionic liquids with a model assuming thermal diffusion in continuous media. The lower limit of the size of local structure is estimated with vibrational cooling process observed with and without the excess energy. A quantitative discussion with a numerical simulation shows that the diameter of local structure is larger than 10 nm. If we combine this lower limit, 10 nm, with the upper limit, 100 nm, which is estimated from the transparency (no light scattering) of ionic liquids, an order of magnitude estimate of local structure is obtained as 10 nm < L < 100 nm, where L is the length or the diameter of the domain of local structure.     

Structural origin of energetic heterogeneity in ionic liquids

How structural features observed computationally are connected to excitation-wavelength dependent kinetics observed experimentally remains an unanswered question in the field of ionic liquids. Using molecular dynamics simulation methods and approximated models that simplify the electrostatic interactions in ionic liquids, we discovered that on the timescale shorter than the relaxation time of the photochemical process, the energetic heterogeneity in terms of distribution of excitation energies is the consequence of the structure heterogeneity formed by local arrangement of ions around the solute probe.     

Observation of Unusual Molecular Diffusion Behaviour below the Lower Critical Solution Temperature of Water/2‐Butoxyethanol Mixtures by using Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy

The effect of solute affinity on solute diffusion in binary liquids well below the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) was studied by using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. We measured the hydrodynamic radii of a hydrophobic and an amphiphilic fluorescent dye under systematic variation of the relative molar fractions of water/2‐butoxyethanol and, for comparison, of water/methanol mixtures, which do not show phase separation. We found that the apparent hydrodynamic radius of the hydrophobic dye almost doubled in water/2‐butoxyethanol, whereas it remained largely unchanged for the amphiphilic dye and in water/methanol mixtures. Our results indicate that the translational diffusion of solutes is influenced by transient local solution structures, even at temperatures well below the LCST. We conclude that, even far below LCST, different solutes can experience different environments in binary liquid mixtures depending on both the solute and solvent properties, all of which impact their reactivity.     

Mass Distribution and Diffusion of [1‐Butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium][Y] Ionic Liquids Adsorbed on the Graphite Surface at 300–800 K

The structure and diffusion behavior of 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium ([bmim]⁺) ionic liquids with [Cl]^?, [PF₆]^?, and [Tf₂N]^? counterions near a hydrophobic graphite surface are investigated by molecular dynamics simulation over the temperature range of 300–800 K. Near the graphite surface the structure of the ionic liquid differs from that in the bulk and it forms a well‐ordered region extending over 30 Å from the surface. The bottom layer of the ionic liquid is stable over the investigated temperature range due to the inherent slow dynamics of the ionic liquid and the strong Coulombic interactions between cation and anion. In the bottom layer, diffusion is strongly anisotropic and predominantly occurs along the graphite surface. Diffusion perpendicular to the interface (interfacial mass transfer rate k_t) is very slow due to strong ion–substrate interaction. The diffusion behaviors of the three ionic liquids in the two directions all follow an Arrhenius relation, and the activation barrier increases with decreasing anion size. Such an Arrhenius relation is applied to surface‐adsorbed ionic liquids for the first time. The ion size and the surface electrical charge density of the anions are the major factors determining the diffusion behavior of the ionic liquid adjacent to the graphite surface.     

纤维素在离子液体中的溶解性能及机理研究进展

综述了纤维素在离子液体中的溶解性能和机理的研究进展,总结了纤维素在离子液体中发生溶胀、溶解的物化特性;指出纤维素在离子液体中的溶解属于直接溶解,溶解温度、溶解时间、加热方式、离子液体结构及是否含水等均可影响纤维素的溶解性能;分析了离子液体体系中纤维素应用方面存在的问题,即用于溶解纤维素的离子液体种类有限,溶解机理尚无成熟和完整的理论模型,有待于进一步研究.     

Hydrophilic quaternary ammonium type ionic liquids. Systematic study of the relationship among molecular structures, osmotic pressures, and water-solubility

This Letter examines the relationship between the structures of ionic liquids and their water-solubility or osmotic pressure with a number of synthesized quaternary ammonium type ionic liquids and organic salts containing a hydroxyl group as hydrophilic substituted groups on ammonium group cations, and bromide or methylsulfonate as anions. The study found a linear relation between the amount and osmotic pressure of the water-soluble ionic liquids synthesized here, strongly indicating that these water-soluble ionic liquids are perfectly ionized in water like inorganic salts with small diameter ions.     

Carboxyl-functionalized task-specific ionic liquids for solubilizing metal oxides

Imidazolium, pyridinium, pyrrolidinium, piperidinium, morpholinium, and quaternary ammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide salts were functionalized with a carboxyl group. These ionic liquids are useful for the selective dissolution of metal oxides and hydroxides. Although these hydrophobic ionic liquids are immiscible with water at room temperature, several of them form a single phase with water at elevated temperatures. Phase separation occurs upon cooling. This thermomorphic behavior has been investigated by (1)H NMR, and it was found that it can be attributed to the temperature-dependent hydration and hydrogen-bond formation of the ionic liquid components. The crystal structures of four ionic liquids and five metal complexes have been determined.     

Carbon dioxide capture by aminoalkyl imidazolium-based ionic liquid: a computational investigation

Efficient technologies/processes for CO(2) capture are greatly desired, and ionic liquids are recognized as promising materials for this purpose. However, the mechanisms for selectively capturing CO(2) by ionic liquids are unclear. In this study, the interactions between CO(2) and 1-n-amino-alkyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate, an amino imidazolium ionic liquid (AIIL), in its CO(2) capturing process, are elucidated with both quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics approaches on the molecular level. The effects of the straight aminoalkyl chain length in imidazolium-based cations on CO(2) capture are explored, and thereby the factors governing CO(2) capture for this ionic liquid family, e.g., ionic liquid structure, charge distribution, intermolecular interactions, thermodynamic properties and absorption kinetics, are analyzed. Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the diffusion of the involved compounds and liquid structures of the CO(2)-AIIL systems. The results show that the amino-alkyl chain length plays an important role in governing the absorption properties of AIILs, including the free energies of absorption, equilibrium constants, desorption temperature, absorption rate constants, diffusion coefficients, and organization of CO(2) around cations and anions. This study provides useful information about rational design of ionic liquids for efficient CO(2) capture.     

Molecular dynamics simulation study on the transient response of solvation structure during the translational diffusion of solute

The transient response function of the density profile of the solvent around a solute during the translational diffusion of the solute is formulated based on the generalized Langevin formalism. The resultant theory is applied to both neat Lennard-Jones fluids and cations in liquid water, and the response functions are obtained from the analysis of the molecular dynamics simulations. In the case of the self-diffusion of Lennard-Jones fluids, the responses of the solvation structures are in harmony with conventional pictures based on the mode-coupling theory, that is, the binary collision in the low-density fluids, the backflow effect from medium to high density fluids, and the backscatter effect in the liquids near the triple point. In the case of cations in water, the qualitative behavior is strongly dependent on the size of cations. The pictures similar to simple dense liquids are obtained for the large ion and the neutral molecule, while the solvent waters within the first solvation shell of small ions show an oscillatory response in the short-time region. In particular, the oscillation is remarkably underdumped for lithium ion. The origin of the oscillation is discussed in relation to the theoretical treatment of the translational diffusion of ions in water.     

离子液中溶剂化电子的结构及其演化动力学

本文综述了离子型液体介质中过剩电子的结构、存在状态及其时间演化动力学特征。基于从头算分子动力学模拟及计算结果,重点阐述了咪唑型、吡啶型、碱金属离子型熔盐氯化物离子液中与过剩电子溶剂化密切相关的溶剂化能量学、结构特征、可能的存在状态以及态-态转化稳态动力学机制,分析了此类离子型介质中电子高效传导的内在本质及离子液组成离子的重要作用。阳离子的最低未占轨道组成的导带结构是离子液中过剩电子的溶剂化态及其稳定性的决定因素,任何能影响或改变其导带结构的因素均能显著影响过剩电子溶剂化。但快速的态-态转化及电子迁移并不明显取决于其组成离子扩散动力学,而是敏感地受离子液涨落所控制。这种基于溶剂化电子的迁移模式构成了此类离子型介质甚至其它液态介质中电子转移的新途径。     

The sulfur dioxide-1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide interaction: drastic changes in structural and physical properties

The contact between minor amounts of SO2 and crystalline 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bromide (BMIBr) causes the almost immediate melting of the ionic liquid (mp 45 degrees C) as well as a dramatic decrease in its viscosity in comparison to the pure molten phase. The same behavior was observed for other halide ionic liquids of higher melting points (70, 135, and 220 degrees C). The Raman spectrum of BMIBr-SO2 clearly indicates a specific charge transfer interaction involving SO2 and the halide. The measurements of ionic conductivity and diffusion coefficients obtained for the neat BMIBr (molten phase) and for the BMIBr-SO2 strongly suggest a higher degree of ionic association in the presence of SO2. Molecular dynamic simulations indicate that although the cation-anion distance is preserved in the short range, there is a variation in the interionic distances in the second shell, leading to a less organized structure in the long range. The modulation of the structural and physical properties of ionic liquids by SO2 and the convenient choice of the ions for gas absorption are suggested.     

Local structure of ionic liquid–monohydric alcohol solutions

The method of molecular dynamics is used to investigate the effect of monohydric alcohols on the formation of the local structure of ionic liquids based on the dimethylimidazolium cation at T = 400 K. The intermolecular interaction energies are analyzed to find that the increase in the length of the alkyl chain in the alcohol molecule reduces the influence of the solute molecule on the formation of the local structure of the dmim⁺/Cl^––solute molecule systems. An analysis of the radial distribution function shows that the change in the structure and physical characteristics of the solute molecule does not affect the interaction between the hydroxyl group proton of the alcohol molecule and the ionic liquid anions, whose interactions form the hydrogen bond H^alcohol…Cl^– with a length of 2.3 Å.     

Influence of solute-solvent coordination on the orientational relaxation of ion assemblies in polar solvents

We have investigated the rotational dynamics of lithium thiocyanate (LiNCS) dissolved in various polar solvents with time and polarization resolved vibrational spectroscopy. LiNCS forms multiple distinct ionic structures in solution that can be distinguished with the CN stretch vibrational frequency of the different ionic assemblies. By varying the solvent and the LiNCS concentration, the number and type of ionic structures present in solution can be controlled. Control of the ionic structure provides control over the volume, shape, and dipole moment of the solute, critical parameters for hydrodynamic and dielectric continuum models of friction. The use of solutes with sizes comparable to or smaller than the solvent molecules also helps amplify the sensitivity of the measurement to the short-ranged solute-solvent interaction. The measured orientational relaxation dynamics show many clear and distinct deviations from simple hydrodynamic behavior. All ionic structures in all solvents exhibit multi-exponential relaxation dynamics that do not scale with the solute volume. For Lewis base solvents such as benzonitrile, dimethyl carbonate, and ethyl acetate, the observed dynamics strongly show the effect of solute-solvent complex formation. For the weak Lewis base solvent nitromethane, we see no evidence for solute-solvent complex formation, but still see strong deviation from the predictions of simple hydrodynamic theory.     

不同离子液体中三氯化铁的电化学行为

本文采用循环伏安法研究了FeCl3在五种不同的离子液体(包括疏水性和亲水性的离子液体)中的电化学行为,计算了不同离子液体中FeCl4的扩散系数.实验结果表明:Fe3+在离子液体中的氧化还原过程是一个具有较高可逆性的扩散控制过程.离子液体的阴、阳离子的结构及大小对Fe3+的电化学响应有影响,且离子液体的阴离子的影响较阳离子更大一些.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of the structure and transport properties of tetra-butylphosphonium amino acid ionic liquids

Systematic molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the structure, dynamics and transport properties of the ionic liquids composed of the tetra-butylphosphonium ([TBP](+), or [P(C(4)H(9))(4)](+)) cation with six amino acid ([AA](-)) anions. The structural features of these ionic liquids were characterized by calculating the partial site-site radial distribution functions, g(r), and computing the dihedral angle distribution of n-butyl side chains in the [TBP](+) cations. The dynamics of the ionic liquids are described by studying the velocity autocorrelation function (VACF) and the mean-square displacement (MSD) for the centers of mass of the ions at different temperatures. The ionic diffusion coefficients and the electrical conductivities were evaluated from both the Einstein and Green-Kubo methods. The cross-correlation terms in the electric-current autocorrelation functions, which are an indication of the ion pair correlations, are investigated. The cationic transference numbers were also estimated to study the contributions of the anions and cations to the transport of charge in these ionic liquids. We determined the role of the amino acid anion structures on the dynamical behavior and the transport coefficients of this family of ionic liquids. In general, the MSD and self-diffusion coefficients of the relatively heavier non-planar [TBP](+) cations are smaller than those of the lighter amino acid anions. Introducing polar functional groups (acid or amide) in the side chain of [AA](-) decreases the diffusion coefficient and electrical conductivity of AAILs. The major factors for determining the magnitude of the transport coefficients are the chemical functionality and the length of the alkyl side chain of the [AA](-) anion of these [TBP][AA] ionic liquids.     

离子液体中电生成CoL催化行为研究

在离子液体中,研究了CoL(钴希夫碱配合物)的电化学行为,并进一步探讨了其对氯苄还原以及PhCH_2Cl与CO_2反应的催化特性.CoL在离子液体中呈现一对由扩散控制的单电子可逆氧化还原峰,通过电化学行为研究发现,其氧化还原峰电位不易随金属有机配合物的配体和离子液体阴离子的变化而变化,并求得了相应的扩散系数.同时,循环伏安图表明该体系能对PhCH_2Cl的还原起催化作用,反应经历一个ECE过程,另外,该体系还能催化PhCH_2Cl与CO_2反应,通过恒电位电解得到(PhCH_2)_2CO,说明常温常压下,CO_2可以通过CoL催化在离子液体中进行固定,得到新的有机化合物。     

Factors influencing reverse osmosis rejection of inorganic solutes from aqueous solution

Reverse osmosis (RO) rejection is strongly influenced by the distribution of solute between the membrane and solvent phases. For this reason, we examined the partition coefficients of inorganic compounds between water and cellulose acetate (CA) membranes. Cation and anion partition coefficients were determined by independent analyses. Effects of fixed (negative) membrane charges on CA are clearly apparent at low solute concentrations. The mean cation/anion partition coefficients decrease with the product of the cation and anion valence, and increase with increasing ionic size. Un-ionized inorganic compounds, HgC1₂ and HAuC1₄, are strongly sorbed by CA membranes. All of these observations are consistent with electrostatic theory.Experimental membrane/water partition coefficients are influenced by temperature, pH, and ion-pairing. CA membranes exhibit swelling and shrinkage when exposed to certain aqueous solutions. Swelling and shrinkage influence solute partition and diffusion coefficients, the water content of the membranes, and their RO rejection.The present results provide a comprehensive experimental basis for understanding the mechanism of RO rejection by CA membranes. Moreover, these results can be used to predict RO behavior under a wide variety of experimental conditions. The potential use of reverse osmosis in a variety of wastewater applications is considered in some detail.