Carbon-centered strong bases in phosphonium ionic liquids

Phosphonium ionic liquids (PhosILs), most notably tetradecyl(trihexyl)phosphonium decanoate (PhosIL-C(9)H(1)9COO), are solvents for bases such as Grignard reagents, isocyanides, Wittig reagents (phosphoranes), and N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs). The stability of the organometallic species in PhosIL solution is anion dependent. Small bases, such as hydroxide, react with the phosphonium ions and promote C-H exchange as suggested by deuterium-labeling studies. A method to dry and purify the ionic liquids is described and this step is important for the successful use of basic reagents in PhosIL. NHCs have been generated in PhosIL, and these persistent solutions catalyze organic transformations such as the benzoin condensation and the Kumada-Corriu cross-coupling reaction. Phosphoranes were generated in PhosIL, and their reactivity with various organic reagents was also tested. Inter-ion contacts involving tetraalkylphosphonium ions have been assessed, and the crystal structure of [(n-C(4)H(90)(4)P][CH(3)CO(2).CH(3)CO(2)H] has been determined to aid the discussion. Decomposition of organometallic compounds may also proceed through electron-transfer processes that, inter alia, may lead to decomposition of the IL, and hence the electrochemistry of some representative phosphonium and imidazolium ions has been studied. A radical derived from the electrochemical reduction of an imidazolium ion has been characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.     

Palladium-catalyzed thiocarbonylation of iodoarenes with thiols in phosphonium salt ionic liquids

Trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium hexafluorophosphate, a phosphonium salt ionic liquid (PSIL) is a particularly effective general reaction media for the Pd-catalyzed carbonylation reaction of iodoarenes and thiols to form thioesters. Recycling of the ionic liquid containing active Pd-catalyst was also demonstrated.     

Mass-transfer in pertraction of butyric acid by phosphonium ionic liquids and dodecane

Transport of butyric acid (BA) through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) containing phosphonium ionic liquid (IL) Cyphos IL-104 and dodecane occurs by two mechanisms. The first is related to the physical solubility of undissociated acid in dodecane in the form of a monomer or dimer and the second to the reactive extraction of acid by IL. Although the model of pertraction indicates that increasing the mean concentration of acid in the feed, c _F,lmv, increases the participation of pertraction based on the physical solubility; in the tested range of c _F,lmv from 0 kmol m⁻³ to 0.45 kmol m⁻³ it does not play an important role and at the highest c _F,lmv value, less than 10 % of the overall BA transport were achieved. The presence of IL in SLM considerably increases the value of the overall mass transfer coefficient in pertraction at low BA concentrations. However, at c _F,lmv > 0.4 kmol m⁻³ its values are similar for SLMs with and without IL. Compared to lactic acid, the pertraction of BA through the same SLM is about five times faster. Reactive transport of BA is connected with the back transport of water via reverse micelles decomposition and formation on the extraction and stripping interfaces.     

Local ordering in liquids: solvent effects on the hyperfine couplings of the cyclohexadienyl radical

Ordering of solvent molecules in the vicinity of a dipolar free radical affects its hyperfine coupling constants (hfcs). Specifically, it is demonstrated how the variation of the experimental methylene proton and muon hfcs of the muoniated cyclohexadienyl radical in several solvents and solvent mixtures of varying polarity can be accounted for by a dipole-dipole reaction field model that is based on the model of Reddoch and Konishi (J. Chem. Phys. 1979, 70, 2121) which was developed to explain the solvent dependence of the 14N hfc in the di-tert-butyl-nitroxide radical. Ab initio calculations were carried out with the cyclohexadienyl radical in an electric field to model the electric field arising from the electric dipole moments of the surrounding solvent molecules. An extension of the model that includes the dipole-quadrupole interaction can account for the larger hfc in benzene compared with that in octadecane, and it is predicted that the hfc will be proportional to the concentration of quadrupole moments to the 4/3 power. The influence of hydrogen bonding between the radicals' pi electrons and the OH groups of the solvent on the hfcs is also discussed. Comparison with gas-phase data permits a separation of vibrational effects and reveals that approximately 28% of the temperature dependence in water is due to increasing solvent disorder.     

Efficient carbonylation reactions in phosphonium salt ionic liquids: anionic effects

Application of phosphonium salt ionic liquids in the carbonylation of aryl and vinyl halides is presented. Anionic effects were uncovered with the bromide ionic liquid emerging as the superior media. Acid bromide intermediates were detected in control experiments providing an extended view on the overall catalytic cycle involved. Solvent-free product isolation and recycling of the ionic liquid containing active Pd-catalyst are also demonstrated.     

Electrochemically stable fluorohydrogenate ionic liquids based on quaternary phosphonium cations

Fluorohydrogenate ionic liquids of quaternary phosphonium cations, tri-n-butylmethylphosphonium (P₄₄₄₁) fluorohydrogenate, tetra-n-butylphosphonium (P₄₄₄₄) fluorohydrogenate, and tri-n-butyl-n-octylphosphonium (P₄₄₄₈) fluorohydrogenate, have been synthesized by the metatheses of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride and the corresponding phosphonium chloride precursors. All the obtained salts have melting points below room-temperature with a vacuum-stable composition of P_444m(FH)_2.3F (m = 1, 4, and 8) and were characterized by density, conductivity, and viscosity measurements. Linear sweep voltammetry with a glassy carbon working electrode shows that the P_444m(FH)_2.3Fs have wide electrochemical windows exceeding 5.2 V. In particular, P₄₄₄₁(FH)_2.3F has an electrochemical window of 6.0 V, which is the widest among fluorohydrogenate ionic liquids reported to date. The thermal stability of these ionic liquids is also improved compared to the salts of N-heterocyclic ammonium cations.     

Electrogenerated radical anions in room-temperature ionic liquids

The sequential two-electron reduction of benzaldehyde to the radical anion and dianion species in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium triflimide and 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium triflimide is reported. In 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium triflimide, the heterogeneous electrochemistry and follow-up chemical reactivity are essentially equivalent to that in conventional molecular-solvent-based electrolytes where no interaction with the media is observed. In 1-butyl-3-methylimmidazolium triflimide, reduction occurs via the same two heterogeneous processes; however, the apparent heterogeneous rate constants are smaller by ca. 1 order of magnitude which leads to quasi-reversible electrochemical behavior. Since the bulk viscosities of the liquids are similar, the slower heterogeneous kinetics are attributed to local interfacial viscosity due to local ordering in the imidazolium-based medium. Also, a dramatic anodic shift in the reduction potentials is observed in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium triflimide media that is attributed to a stabilizing interaction of the radical anion and dianion species with the imidazolium cation.     

Aggregation behavior of alkyl triphenyl phosphonium bromides in aprotic and protic ionic liquids

The aggregation behavior of alkyltriphenylphonium bromides, C _n TPB (n?=?12 and 14), has been investigated in two different room-temperature ionic liquids (ILs), the aprotic 1-butyl-3-metyllimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([bmim][BF₄]), and the protic ethylammonium nitrate (EAN). The critical micelle concentration was determined by the surface tension measurements. The calculated thermodynamic parameters based on surface tension measurements at various temperatures indicate that the micellization for C _n TPB in both aprotic [bmim][BF₄] and protic EAN is enthalpy-driven. But stronger solvophobic interactions presented between C _n TPB and protic EAN than aprotic [bmim][BF₄]. ¹H NMR spectra were further conducted to reveal that ethylammonium cation can insert into the micelle while imidazole cation only locates among the head groups of C _n TPB.     

Physical and electrochemical properties of low-viscosity phosphonium ionic liquids as potential electrolytes

A new group of room temperature ionic liquids based on triethylalkylphosphonium cations together with a bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion as a novel electrolyte is presented in this report. It was found that phosphonium ionic liquids showed lower viscosities and higher conductivities than those of the corresponding ammonium ionic liquids. Particularly, phosphonium ionic liquids containing a methoxy group, triethyl(methoxymethyl)phosphonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and triethyl(2-methoxyethyl)phosphonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, exhibited quite low viscosities (35 and 44 mPa s at 25 °C, respectively). Linear sweep voltammetry measured in neat phosphonium ionic liquids at a glassy carbon electrode indicated wide potential windows (at least −3.0 to +2.3 V vs. Fc/Fc⁺). Thermogravimetric analysis suggested that phosphonium ionic liquids were thermally stable up to nearly 400 °C, showing slower gravimetric decreases at high temperature compared to those of the corresponding ammonium ionic liquids.     

A study on the degradation of polylactic acid in the presence of phosphonium ionic liquids

In this overview study, two ionic liquids (IL) with different anions (decanoate, tetrafluoroborate) but with the same phosphonium-based cation that showed promising plasticizing/lubricating behavior in polylactic acid (PLA) were screened for their effects on the polymer degradation under thermomechanical, thermo-oxidative (at 160 °C), hydrolytic (100% humidity, 60 °C), conditions, and during soil immersion. Depending on the particular medium and conditions used, degradation was followed by changes in molecular weight, melt viscosity, sample weight and appearance, morphology, crystallinity, acid number, and pH. The effects of the IL containing a decanoate anion were more pronounced on lubrication and also on degradation as evidenced by reduced melt viscosities and accelerated thermomechanical, isothermal, hydrolytic, and soil degradation. The IL containing the tetrafluoroborate anion showed higher thermal stability compared with the IL containing decanoate anion as also confirmed from thermal degradation rate constants which were calculated from random chain scission statistics. Accelerated hydrolytic degradation was observed in PLA containing the tetrafluoroborate based IL but to a lesser extent than the decanoate based IL. The catalytic role of the decanoate anion in hydrolytic degradation was confirmed through experiments with model compounds. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data on the materials exposed to soil degradation provided evidence that the initially amorphous polymer attained a certain degree of crystallinity as a result of the significant MW reduction.     

Analysis of quaternary ammonium and phosphonium ionic liquids by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with charged aerosol detection and unified calibration

Several hydrophobic ionic liquids (ILs) based on long-chain aliphatic ammonium- and phosphonium cations and selected aromatic anions were analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) employing trifluoroacetic acid as ion-pairing additive to the acetonitrile-containing mobile phase and adopting a step-gradient elution mode. The coupling of charged aerosol detection (CAD) for the non-chromophoric aliphatic cations with diode array detection (DAD) for the aromatic anions allowed their simultaneous analysis in a set of new ILs derived from either tricaprylmethylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) and trihexyltetradecylphosphonium chloride as precursors. Aliquat 336 is a mix of ammonium cations with distinct aliphatic chain lengths. In the course of the studies it turned out that CAD generates an identical detection response for all the distinct aliphatic cations. Due to lack of single component standards of the individual Aliquat 336 cation species, a unified calibration function was established for the quantitative analysis of the quaternary ammonium cations of the ILs. The developed method was validated according to ICH guidelines, which confirmed the validity of the unified calibration. The application of the method revealed molar ratios of cation to anion close to 1 indicating a quantitative exchange of the chloride ions of the precursors by the various aromatic anions in the course of the synthesis of new ILs. Anomalies of CAD observed for the detection of some aromatic anions (thiosalicylate and benzoate) are discussed.     

Protic ionic liquids based on phosphonium cations: comparison with ammonium analogues

Novel protic ionic liquids (PILs) based on a tributyl phosphonium cation have been synthesised and characterised, revealing that the phosphonium based ILs show high thermal stability, high ionic conductivity and facile proton reduction compared to the corresponding ammonium based ILs.     

Heck reactions of aryl halides in phosphonium salt ionic liquids: library screening and applications

The Heck cross-coupling of aryl iodides and bromides with olefins proceeds in the phosphonium salt ionic liquid trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride (THP-Cl) in excellent yields. Furthermore, it is shown that the counter anion matched to the phosphonium cation exerts a measurable effect on the overall yield.     

Propagation kinetics of free‐radical polymerizations in ionic liquids

Propagation rate coefficients, k_p, of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) homopolymerizations were measured at ambient pressure in four ionic liquids (ILs): 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium ([emim]) ethyl sulfate and [emim] hexyl sulfate as well as butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium ([bmim]) hexafluorophosphate and [bmim] tetrafluoroborate via the pulsed‐laser polymerization size‐exclusion chromatography technique. In passing from bulk polymerization at 40 °C polymerization in IL solution containing 20 vol % monomer, k_p is enhanced by up to a factor of 4 with MMA and by a factor of 2 with GMA. This enhancement of k_p primarily results from a lowering of activation energy upon partial replacement of monomer by ionic liquid species. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1460–1469, 2008     

Efficient palladium/1,10-phenanthroline-catalyzed reductive carbonylation of mono- and dinitroarenes to urethanes in phosphonium salt ionic liquids

The highly reactive and selective reductive carbonylation of mono- and dinitroarenes to the corresponding mono- and diurethanes was carried out in the presence of a PdCl2/Phen catalytic system, using PSIL110[C14H29(C6H13)3P(+)PF6(-)] as the ionic liquid under mild reaction conditions. No cocatalyst is required.     

Atom transfer radical polymerization of styrenic ionic liquid monomers and carbon dioxide absorption of the polymerized ionic liquids

Polymeric forms of ionic liquids have many potential applications because of their high thermal stability and ionic nature. Two ionic liquid monomers, 1‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)‐3‐butyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate (VBIT) and 1‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)‐3‐ butyl imidazolium hexafluorophosphate (VBIH), were synthesized through the quaternization of N‐butylimidazole with 4‐vinylbenzylchloride and a subsequent anion‐ exchange reaction with sodium tetrafluoroborate or potassium hexafluorophosphate. Copper‐mediated atom transfer radical polymerization was used to polymerize VBIT and VBIH. The effects of various initiator/catalyst systems, monomer concentrations, solvent polarities, and reaction temperatures on the polymerization were examined. The polymerization was well controlled and exhibited living characteristics when CuBr/1,1,4,7,10,10‐hexamethyltriethylenetetramine or CuBr/2,2′‐bipyridine was used as the catalyst and ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate was used as the initiator. Characterizations by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and X‐ray diffraction showed that the resulting VBIT polymer, poly[1‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)‐3‐butyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate] (PVBIT), was amorphous and had excellent thermal stability, with a glass‐transition temperature of 84 °C. The polymerized ionic liquids could absorb CO₂ as ionic liquids: PVBIT absorbed 0.30% (w/w) CO₂ at room temperature and 0.78 atm. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 1432–1443, 2005     

Syntheses of substituted 3-methyleneisoindolin-1-ones by a palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira coupling-carbonylation-hydroamination sequence in phosphonium salt-based ionic liquids

Two efficient approaches for the synthesis of isoindolin-1-one derivatives in phosphonium salt ionic liquids are described. The palladium-catalyzed carbonylation-hydroamination reaction of 1-halo-2-alkynylbenzene with amines afforded the substituted 3-methyleneisoindolin-1-ones in good yields and high selectivities in favor of the Z-isomers. The target molecules could also be synthesized by the Sonogashira coupling-carbonylation-hydroamination one-pot reaction of dihalides, alkynes, and amines. Both processes can be conducted under mild conditions and tolerate a wide array of functionalized substrates.     

Characterization of phosphonium ionic liquids through a linear solvation energy relationship and their use as GLC stationary phases

In recent years, room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have proven to be of great interest to analytical chemists. One important development is the use of RTILs as highly thermally stable GLC stationary phases. To date, nearly all of the RTIL stationary phases have been nitrogen-based (ammonium, pyrrolidinium, imidazolium, etc.). In this work, eight new monocationic and three new dicationic phosphonium-based RTILs are used as gas–liquid chromatography (GLC) stationary phases. Inverse gas chromatography (GC) analyses are used to study the solvation properties of the phosphonium RTILs through a linear solvation energy model. This model describes the multiple solvation interactions that the phosphonium RTILs can undergo and is useful in understanding their properties. In addition, the phosphonium-based stationary phases are used to separate complex analyte mixtures by GLC. Results show that the small differences in the solvent properties of the phosphonium ILs compared with ammonium-based ILs will allow for different and unique separation selectivities. Also, the phosphonium-based stationary phases tend to be more thermally stable than nitrogen-based ILs, which is an advantage in many GC applications.