Nanostructure and amphiphile self-assembly in polar molecular solvents: amides and the "solvophobic effect"

The ability of low molecular weight amides to support amphiphile self-assembly is shown to be a general feature for this class of solvents. This report extends the number of known polar solvents which can support amphiphile self-assembly by five new amides; more than doubling the number of known amides able to serve as amphiphile self-assembly media. The formation of lyotropic liquid crystalline phases by cationic and non-ionic surfactants in these liquid amides is reported. The ability of a solvent to promote amphiphile self-assembly is governed by the "solvophobic effect" and is linked to the solvent cohesiveness. The Gordon parameter which is a measure of the solvent cohesiveness was found to provide a guide to an amides capacity to support lyotropic liquid crystalline phase diversity and thermal stability ranges of those phases. The "solvophobic effect" and steric hindrance factors were compared between amide's and protic ionic liquids possessing analogous chemical structures and also being able to promote amphiphile self-assembly.     

Solvophobicity and amphiphilic self-assembly in neoteric and nanostructured solvents

The emergence of ionic liquids and deep eutectics as neoteric solvents that support surfactant self-assembly creates a vast new playing field for creating new forms of soft matter with distinctive properties. Solvophobic self-assembly in ionic liquids and deep eutectics has unique and novel features arising from strong interactions between constituents, high ionic strengths, and the molecular structures of the components, which can induce amphiphilic nanostructure in these nonaqueous solvents. This nanostructure is often reminiscent of microemulsions and sponge phases. Here we review recent new understanding of solvent nanostructure and its effect on self-assembly of surfactants and lipids.     

Formation of amphiphile self-assembly phases in protic ionic liquids

A range of protic ionic liquids (PILs) have been identified as being capable of supporting the self-assembly of the nonionic surfactants myverol 18-99 K (predominantly monoolein) and phytantriol. PIL-surfactant penetration scans have provided a high throughput technique to determine which lyotropic liquid crystalline phases were formed in the 40 PIL-surfactant systems investigated. Lamellar, inverse hexagonal, and bicontinuous cubic phases that are stable in excess PIL have been observed in surfactant-PIL systems. The studied PILs possess a wide range of solvent properties, including surface tension and viscosity. The nature of the formed amphiphile self-assembly phases is discussed in terms of the PIL structure and solvent properties.     

Protic ionic liquids: physicochemical properties and behavior as amphiphile self-assembly solvents

The physicochemical properties of 22 protic ionic liquids (PILs) and 6 protic molten salts, and the self-assembly behavior of 3 amphiphiles in the PILs, are reported. Structure-property relationships have been explored for the PILs, including the effect of increasing the substitution of ammonium cations and the presence of methoxy and hydroxyl moieties in the cation. Anion choices included the formate, pivalate, trifluoroacetate, nitrate, and hydrogen sulfate anions. This series of PILs had a diverse range of physicochemical properties, with ionic conductivities up to 51.10 mS/cm, viscosities down to 5.4 mPa.s, surface tensions between 38.3 and 82.1 mN/m, and densities between 0.990 and 1.558 g/cm3. PILs were designed with various levels of solvent cohesiveness, as quantified by the Gordon parameter. Fourteen PILs were found to promote the self-assembly of amphiphiles. High-throughput polarized optical microscopy was used to identify lamellar, hexagonal, and bicontinuous cubic amphiphile self-assembly phases. The presence and extent of amphiphile self-assembly have been discussed in terms of the Gordon parameter.     

Extraction of organic compounds with room temperature ionic liquids

Room temperature ionic liquids are novel solvents with a rather specific blend of physical and solution properties that makes them of interest for applications in separation science. They are good solvents for a wide range of compounds in which they behave as polar solvents. Their physical properties of note that distinguish them from conventional organic solvents are a negligible vapor pressure, high thermal stability, and relatively high viscosity. They can form biphasic systems with water or low polarity organic solvents and gases suitable for use in liquid–liquid and gas–liquid partition systems. An analysis of partition coefficients for varied compounds in these systems allows characterization of solvent selectivity using the solvation parameter model, which together with spectroscopic studies of solvent effects on probe substances, results in a detailed picture of solvent behavior. These studies indicate that the solution properties of ionic liquids are similar to those of polar organic solvents. Practical applications of ionic liquids in sample preparation include extractive distillation, aqueous biphasic systems, liquid–liquid extraction, liquid-phase microextraction, supported liquid membrane extraction, matrix solvents for headspace analysis, and micellar extraction. The specific advantages and limitations of ionic liquids in these studies is discussed with a view to defining future uses and the need not to neglect the identification of new room temperature ionic liquids with physical and solution properties tailored to the needs of specific sample preparation techniques. The defining feature of the special nature of ionic liquids is not their solution or physical properties viewed separately but their unique combinations when taken together compared with traditional organic solvents.     

离子液体在纤维素研究中的应用

离子液体是一种新型的绿色溶剂,纤维素是一种可再生的生物资源,作为非衍生化纤维素溶剂,离子液体在纤维素研究中呈现出了良好的发展态势。本文综述了纤维素在离子液体溶解、再生、衍生化反应及其在生物酶催化等方面的一些研究成果。     

离子液体的制备及其在酶催化反应中的应用

离子液体,尤其是非水溶性离子液体可以作为一种溶剂或酶的载体用于非水相酶促反应中,也可以用于双相体系中的酶促反应。本文概括性介绍了常见离子液体的制备,总结和讨论了离子液体中酶的活性、稳定性、反应选择性以及各类酶在离子液体中的催化反应行为。离子液体的物性及其与酶的相容性对酶本身及酶促反应都有很大的影响。在非水相酶促反应中,离子液体的极性作用不遵从通常用来判别大多数有机物溶剂行为的规则,比如lgP规则。     

Self-assembled structures and chemical reactions in room-temperature ionic liquids

Amphiphilic association in room-temperature ionic liquids (RT-ILs) — a “green” solvent shows analogies as well as clear differences from self-assembly in water. In this review, we summarize the known features of amphiphilic association structures in the form of micelles, microemulsions, vesicles and lyotropic liquid-crystalline phases in ionic liquids. Most of the methods making use of association to control reactivity could be developed also in RT-ILs and we give a few recently published examples of this strategy.     

Ionic Liquids-New "Solutions" for Transition Metal Catalysis

Ionic liquids are salts that are liquid at low temperature (<100 degrees C) which represent a new class of solvents with nonmolecular, ionic character. Even though the first representative has been known since 1914, ionic liquids have only been investigated as solvents for transition metal catalysis in the past ten years. Publications to date show that replacing an organic solvent by an ionic liquid can lead to remarkable improvements in well-known processes. Ionic liquids form biphasic systems with many organic product mixtures. This gives rise to the possibility of a multiphase reaction procedure with easy isolation and recovery of homogeneous catalysts. In addition, ionic liquids have practically no vapor pressure which facilitates product separation by distillation. There are also indications that switching from a normal organic solvent to an ionic liquid can lead to novel and unusual chemical reactivity. This opens up a wide field for future investigations into this new class of solvents in catalytic applications.     

Ionic liquid electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells

The potential of room-temperature molten salts (ionic liquids) as solvents for electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells has been investigated during the last decade. The non-volatility, good solvent properties and high electrochemical stability of ionic liquids make them attractive solvents in contrast to volatile organic solvents. Despite this, the relatively high viscosity of ionic liquids leads to mass-transport limitations. Here we review recent developments in the application of different ionic liquids as solvents or components of liquid and quasi-solid electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells.     

Chromatographic and spectroscopic methods for the determination of solvent properties of room temperature ionic liquids

Room temperature ionic liquids are novel solvents with favorable environmental and technical features. Synthetic routes to over 200 room temperature ionic liquids are known but for most ionic liquids physicochemical data are generally lacking or incomplete. Chromatographic and spectroscopic methods afford suitable tools for the study of solvation properties under conditions that approximate infinite dilution. Gas-liquid chromatography is suitable for the determination of gas-liquid partition coefficients and activity coefficients as well as thermodynamic constants derived from either of these parameters and their variation with temperature. The solvation parameter model can be used to define the contribution from individual intermolecular interactions to the gas-liquid partition coefficient. Application of chemometric procedures to a large database of system constants for ionic liquids indicates their unique solvent properties: low cohesion for ionic liquids with weakly associated ions compared with non-ionic liquids of similar polarity; greater hydrogen-bond basicity than typical polar non-ionic solvents; and a range of dipolarity/polarizability that encompasses the same range as occupied by the most polar non-ionic liquids. These properties can be crudely related to ion structures but further work is required to develop a comprehensive approach for the design of ionic liquids for specific applications. Data for liquid-liquid partition coefficients is scarce by comparison with gas-liquid partition coefficients. Preliminary studies indicate the possibility of using the solvation parameter model for interpretation of liquid-liquid partition coefficients determined by shake-flask procedures as well as the feasibility of using liquid-liquid chromatography for the convenient and rapid determination of liquid-liquid partition coefficients. Spectroscopic measurements of solvatochromic and fluorescent probe molecules in room temperature ionic liquids provide insights into solvent intermolecular interactions although interpretation of the different and generally uncorrelated "polarity" scales is sometimes ambiguous. All evidence points to the ionic liquids as a unique class of polar solvents suitable for technical development. In terms of designer solvents, however, further work is needed to fill the gaps in our knowledge of the relationship between ion structures and physicochemical properties.     

Solvation and rotational dynamics of coumarin 153 in ionic liquids: comparisons to conventional solvents

Steady-state and time-resolved emission spectroscopy with 25 ps resolution are used to measure equilibrium and dynamic aspects of the solvation of coumarin 153 (C153) in a diverse collection of 21 room-temperature ionic liquids. The ionic liquids studied here include several phosphonium and imidazolium liquids previously reported as well as 12 new ionic liquids that incorporate two homologous series of ammonium and pyrrolidinium cations. Steady-state absorption and emission spectra are used to extract solvation free energies and reorganization energies associated with the S0 <--> S1 transition of C153. These quantities, especially the solvation free energy, vary relatively little in ionic liquids compared to conventional solvents. Some correlation is found between these quantities and the mean separation between ions (or molar volume). Time-resolved anisotropies are used to observe solute rotation. Rotation times measured in ionic liquids correlate with solvent viscosity in much the same way that they do in conventional polar solvents. No special frictional coupling between the C153 and the ionic liquid solvents is indicated by these times. But, in contrast to what is observed in most low-viscosity conventional solvents, rotational correlation functions in ionic liquids are nonexponential. Time-resolved Stokes shift measurements are used to characterize solvation dynamics. The solvation response functions in ionic liquids are also nonexponential and can be reasonably represented by stretched-exponential functions of time. The solvation times observed are correlated with the solvent viscosity, and the much slower solvation in ionic liquids compared to dipolar solvents can be attributed to their much larger viscosities. Solvation times of the majority of ionic liquids studied appear to follow a single correlation with solvent viscosity. Only liquids incorporating the largest phosphonium cation appear to follow a distinctly different correlation.     

Ranking Solvent Interactions and Dielectric Constants with [Pt(mesBIAN)(tda)]: A Cautionary Tale for Polarity Determinations in Ionic Liquids

The solvatochromic properties of [Pt(mesBIAN)(tda)] are studied in traditional molecular solvents and ionic liquids and duly compared along established empirical solvent parameter scales. The charge‐transfer absorption band of [Pt(mesBIAN)(tda)] is determined to be primarily dependent upon solvent acidity and dipolarity. Notably, ionic liquids do not obey the same well‐behaved trend as molecular solvents, highlighting the complexity and domain (nano)segregation inherent to ionic liquids.     

Bmim]PF(6): a novel and recyclable ionic liquid for conversion of oxiranes to thiiranes in aqueous media

A variety of epoxides respond rapidly with potassium thiocyanate in [bmim]PF(6)-H(2)O (2:1) solvent system at room temperature under mild and convenient conditions to produce the corresponding thiiranes in high to quantitative yields. Enhanced rates, improved yields, and recyclability of ionic liquids are the remarkable features observed in ionic liquids (ILs). The use of ionic liquids for this transformation avoids the use of heavy metal halides as promoters and chlorinated hydrocarbons as solvents. The ionic liquid was recycled in five to six subsequent runs with gradual decrease in activity.     

Design and Exploration of –SO<Subscript>3</Subscript>H Group Functionalized Brønsted Acidic Ionic Liquids (BAILs) as Task-Specific Catalytic Systems for Organic Reactions: A Review of Literature

For several decades various chemical industries are involved in environment pollution by using hazardous chemicals or excessive use of solvents or catalysts to get maximum amount of desired product. In this case acidic ionic liquids may act as safer substitute of volatile organic solvents/or traditional Brønsted or Lewis acid catalysts with their unique dual task-specific solvent-catalyst properties. Recent surge in the literature review clearly describes the importance, properties and applications of acidic ionic liquids as solvent and efficient reusable catalyst in organic reactions. This review presents an account of some recent reports indicating the synthesis and uses of –SO₃H functionalized ionic liquids(SFILs) as catalyst in organic synthesis.     

First Claisen Rearrangement Reaction in Ionic Liquids with Microwave Heating

We have demonstrated the first use of the common ionic liquids, [1] bmimBr, bmimBF4 and bmimPF6 as an environmentally benign solvent for the simple Claisen rearrangement under microwave irradiation. In many cases, the re action was carried out in toxic solvents of high boiling point. [2] Here we reported the first example of Claisen rear rangement reaction in green solvents, ionic liquids, under microwave irradiation.     

Task‐Specific Ionic Liquids

In recent years, ionic liquids have attracted the attention of many chemists as a result of their unique properties as solvents for chemical transformations. The focus of this Minireview is on applications of so‐called “task‐specific” ionic liquids, whereby the role of the ionic liquid goes beyond that of a solvent. Such ionic liquids find application in a wide range of areas, including catalysis, synthesis, gas absorption, and analysis.     

Improved preparation and use of room-temperature ionic liquids in lipase-catalyzed enantio- and regioselective acylations.

Polar organic solvents such as methanol or N-methylformamide inactivate lipases. Although ionic liquids such as 3-alkyl-1-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborates have polarities similar to these polar organic solvents, they do not inactivate lipases. To get reliable lipase-catalyzed reactions in ionic liquids, we modified their preparation by adding a wash with aqueous sodium carbonate. Lipase-catalyzed reactions that previously did not occur in untreated ionic liquids now occur at rates comparable to those in nonpolar organic solvents such as toluene. Acetylation of 1-phenylethanol catalyzed by lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia (PCL) was as fast and as enantioselective in ionic liquids as in toluene. Ionic liquids permit reactions in a more polar solvent than previously possible. Acetylation of glucose catalyzed by lipase B from Candida antarctica (CAL-B) was more regioselective in ionic liquids because glucose is up to one hundred times more soluble in ionic liquids. Acetylation of insoluble glucose in organic solvents yielded the more soluble 6-O-acetyl glucose, which underwent further acetylation to give 3,6-O-diacetyl glucose (2-3:1 mixture). However, acetylation of glucose in ionic liquids yielded only 6-O-acetyl glucose (>13:1 and up to >50:1).     

离子液体溶解纤维素的研究

纤维素是一种可生物降解的天然高分子材料,由于纤维素含有大量的分子间和分子内氢键,导致纤维素难溶于水和一般的有机溶剂。现有的溶剂存在稳定性差,具有毒性,难以回收等缺点,对纤维素的加工、利用造成困难,因此,寻找新型绿色溶剂成为纤维素开发的热点和难点。离子液体是一种新型高效绿色溶剂,在一定条件下可以溶解纤维素、角蛋白等生物大分子,离子液体的出现为纤维素的溶解提供了一种环境友好、可生物降解的溶剂体系,具有广阔的应用前景。本文就不同种类离子液体溶解纤维素的溶解度以及影响溶解度几种因素进行了综述,总结了离子液体与纤维素作用机理以及离子液体的回收方法,为纤维素的加工利用提供了理论依据和工业指导。