Bicyclic imidazolium-based ionic liquids: synthesis and characterization

We previously reported the use of imidazole as starting compound for preparing a bicyclic imidazolium ionic liquid, [b-3C-im][NTf₂], with an overall 29% isolated yield in four synthetic steps. This new room temperature ionic liquid was shown to be far more chemically stable than commonly used [bmim][PF₆], [bdmim][PF₆], and [bdmim][NTf₂]. Because of this intriguing chemical stability, it prompted us to develop a more generalized and high yielding synthesis so that molecular diversity of bicyclic ionic liquids may be explored. In this work, we amended the previous synthetic route by employing 4-chlorobutyronitrile or 5-chlorovaleronitrile as starting materials and successfully developed a five-step synthesis of a series of novel bicyclic imidazolium-based ionic liquids in 40-53% overall isolated yields. We investigated intrinsic reactivity of all bicyclic ionic liquids prepared and found that, under strongly basic conditions, among all tested ionic liquids the 5,5-membered [R-3C-im][NTf₂] ionic liquids were most stable to solvent deuterium isotope exchange while the previously reported [bdmim][NTf₂] ionic liquid was 50% deuterium exchanged at its C-2 methyl in 30 min at ambient temperature. Under identical condition, the commonly used [bmim][NTf₂] ionic liquid was deuterium exchanged instantaneously at its C-2 hydrogen. In the absence of bases, only [bmim][PF₆] was deuterium exchanged (50% within 1 h) and all other ionic liquids gave no detectable exchanges even after 25 days at ambient temperature. Moreover, both [bmim][NTf₂] and [bdmim][NTf₂] ionic liquids were readily methylated at C-2 position with methyl iodide under basic condition at room temperature. Under the same condition, [R-3C-im][NTf₂] and [R-4C-im][NTf₂] ionic liquids were completely stable and chemically inert. We envisioned that [R-3C-im][NTf₂] should be well suited as solvents for organic synthesis.     

Baylis-Hillman reaction in [bdmim][PF6] ionic liquid

A new use of ionic liquid [bdmim][PF₆] as solvent for the Baylis-Hillman reaction is presented. Unlike the commonly used [bmim][PF₆] that evidently reacts with electrophilic aldehydes under basic conditions, ionic liquid [bdmim][PF₆] is inert and the Baylis-Hillman reaction in [bdmim][PF₆] proceeds smoothly with better yield.     

Amine basicity: measurements of ion pair stability in ionic liquid media

The stability constants relevant to the formation of amine/p-nitrophenol ion pairs have been determined in [bmim][BF₄] solution, in the presence of butylamine, piperidine, and triethylamine, by using spectrophotometric measurements. In order to evaluate how the ion pair stability is affected by ionic liquid structure, piperidine has been chosen as model amine for studies in [bmim][PF₆], [bmim][NTf₂], [bm₂im][NTf₂] and in several [bmim][BF₄]/1,4-dioxane binary mixtures. Data obtained in ionic liquid solutions have been compared with those previously reported in conventional organic solvents.     

Synthesis of fused tetrahydro-β-carbolinequinoxalinones in 1-n-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([bdmim][Tf2N]) and 1-n-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium perfluorobutylsulfonate ([bdmim][PFBuSO3]) ionic liquids

Starting from tryptophan methyl ester, a three-step synthesis of fused tetrahydro-β-carbolinequinoxalinones in two new ionic liquids, [bdmim][Tf₂N] and [bdmim][PFBuSO₃], was described. Both ionic liquids can be readily prepared from commercially available starting materials in high yields. Unlike the commonly used [PF₆]-based ionic liquids that evidently undergo slow hydrolysis of the PF₆ anion with the concomitant release of HF, ionic liquids of [bdmim][Tf₂N] and [bdmim][PFBuSO₃] are not only chemically stable but also apparently inert to hydrolysis and therefore organic reactions carried out in both ionic liquids proceed smoothly with good yields. The overall isolated yields for this three-step synthesis of tetrahydro-β-carbolinequinoxalinones were 34-55%. To the best of our knowledge, the preparation of fused tetrahydro-β-carbolinequinoxalinones was unprecedented.     

Synthesis of Carbonyl Compounds from Alcohols Using Electrochemically Generated Superoxide Ions in RTILs

Abstract

We show that the superoxide ion (O₂ ^??) generated electrochemically from oxygen dissolved in room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) reacts with primary and secondary alcohols to form the corresponding ketones and carboxylic acids, respectively. Specifically, we study the conversion of benzhydrol to benzophenone and benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde/benzoic acid. The kinetics (e.g., rate, selectivity, and yield) for these reactions are also determined as functions of the variations in the structure of the ionic liquids. The RTILs used here are imidazolium-based cations where the functional groups on the imidazolium ring are modified. Specifically, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [bmim][PF₆], 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [bdmim][PF₆], and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [hmim][PF₆] are used as the reaction medium. These results are compared to an ammonium-based RTIL (N-butyl-N-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide). The results show that the nucleophilic attack by the O₂ ^?? of both the RTIL and the alcohol, especially that of the H atom at the R2 position of the [bmim][PF₆] and [hmim][PF₆], greatly affects the yields. No RTIL degradation products were detected for the reactions in [bdmim][PF₆] and N-butyl-N-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ionic liquids. For the benzyl alcohol oxidation reaction in the RTIL, N-butyl-N-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, benzaldehyde formed did not undergo further oxidation to form benzoic acid, which may be due to the greater hydrophobicity of this RTIL. The competitive reaction kinetics between the alcohol and RTIL component must be considered in the selection of the RTIL solvent system.     

Microwave-accelerated Claisen rearrangement in bicyclic imidazolium [b-3C-im][NTf2] ionic liquid

With microwaves, a chemically stable ionic liquid [b-3C-im][NTf₂] recently developed in our laboratory was used as solvent and successfully applied to accelerate Claisen rearrangement reactions at high temperatures. In the presence of Lewis acid MgCl₂, these thermal rearrangements could be achieved in similar reaction times but at lower temperature. For the microwaved reactions studied in this work, without scarifying isolated yields, the reaction times were significantly reduced from hours (by conventional heating) to ≤3 min. Our result also demonstrated that [b-3C-im][NTf₂] ionic liquid was a useful solvent substitute and could be recycled multiple times for the studied rearrangement reaction at elevated temperatures.     

Effects of temperature and anion species on CO2 permeability and CO2/N2 separation coefficient through ionic liquid membranes

The permeability of carbon dioxide (CO₂) through imidazolium-based ionic liquid membranes was measured by a sweep gas method. Six species of ionic liquids were studied in this work as follows: [emim][BF₄], [bmim][BF₄], [bmim][PF₆], [bmim][Tf₂N], [bmim][OTf], and [bmim][dca]. The ionic liquids were supported with a polyvinylidene fluoride porous membrane. The measurements were performed at T = (303.15 to 343.15) K. The partial pressure difference between feed and permeate sides was 0.121 MPa. The permeability of the CO₂ increases with temperature for the all ionic liquid species. Base on solution diffusion theory, it can be explained that the diffusion coefficient of CO₂ in an ionic liquid affects the temperature dependence more strongly than the solubility coefficient. The greatest permeability was obtained with the [bmim][Tf₂N] membrane. The membrane of [bmim][PF₆] presents the lowest permeability.The separation coefficient between CO₂ and N₂ through the ionic liquid membranes was also investigated at the volume fraction of CO₂ at feed side 0.10. The separation coefficient decreases with the increase of temperature for the all ionic liquid species. The membrane of [emim][BF₄] and [bmim][BF₄] gives the highest separation coefficient at constant temperature. The lowest separation coefficient was obtained from [bmim][Tf₂N] membrane which presents the highest permeability of CO₂.     

Extraction of Metal Ions from Aqueous Solutions Using Imidazolium Based Ionic Liquids

This article represents a step towards how to choose an ionic liquid as the solvent to improve metal ion (Ag⁺ and Pb²⁺) extraction. The liquid-liquid solvent extraction is proposed with the following imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs): 1-ethyl-3-ethylimidazolium, or 1-butyl-3-ethylimidazolium, or 1-hexyl-3-ethylimidazolium bis{(trifluoromethyl)sylfonyl}imide [EEIM][NTf₂], or [BEIM][NTf₂], or [HEIM][NTf₂], or 1-butyl-3-ethylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [BEIM][PF₆], or 1-hexyl-3-ethylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [HEIM][PF₆] and the popular 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [BMIM][PF₆] for comparison. The effect of anion type (NTf₂⁻ versus PF₆⁻) and the effect of structural components of an ionic liquid including alkyl chain length at the cation and the ethyl substituent instead methyl at the cation, on the extraction and re-extraction processes by using dithizone as a metal chelator, were studied at 296 K. Dithizone was employed to form neutral metal-dithizone complexes with heavy metal ions to extract them from aqueous solution into the ILs. Electronic Supplementary Material  The online version of this article () contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Presented at the 236th ACS National Meeting, August 17–21, Philadelphia, USA.     

Enzymatic polyester synthesis in ionic liquids

The enzymatic synthesis of polyesters by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and polycondensation in three ionic liquids, i.e., [bmim][Tf₂N], [bmim][PF₆] and [bmim][BF₄] was investigated. For the enzymatic ROP of ε-caprolactone it was found that [bmim][PF₆] and [bmim][BF₄] result in an inhomogeneous reaction mixture upon polymerization, causing polymerization characteristics similar to bulk polymerization. In contrast, for [bmim][Tf₂N] characteristics similar to toluene were observed. Molecular weights of 7000-9500 g/mol were obtained. In the polycondensation of dimethyl adipate and dimethyl sebacate, respectively, with 1,4-butanol the low volatility of ionic liquids was successfully utilized to perform the reactions in an open vessel at temperatures close to the boiling point of the condensation by-product. Molecular weights up to 5400 g/mol were obtained. This, in combination with the tunable solvent hydrophilicity of ionic liquids could offer an advantage in the polymerization of highly polar monomers with low solubility in organic solvents.     

Acceleration of the Baylis–Hillman Reaction in the Presence of Ionic Liquids

The Baylis–Hillman reaction is accelerated in the presence of ionic liquids. Of various 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium (bmim)‐based ionic liquids tested, [bmim][PF₆] has been found to result in the highest rate increase. In the company of Lewis acid and H‐bond‐donor additives, the reaction rates further improve, albeit only modestly. A preparatively useful Baylis–Hillman procedure prescribes the use of [bmim][PF₆] with La(OTf)₃ and 2,2′2″‐nitrilotris[ethanol], in which the net effect of the ionic liquid is to bring about a more than twofold rate increase over the otherwise same reaction in MeCN.     

Synthesis of tetrahydro-β-carbolinediketopiperazines in [bdmim][PF6] ionic liquid accelerated by controlled microwave heating

Because of their negligible vapor pressures and large dipoles, ionic liquids are excellent media for microwave-accelerated organic reactions. Using low-power microwave irradiation in the new [bdmim][PF₆] ionic liquid with temperature controlled at 60 °C, a three-step synthesis (Pictet-Spengler, Schotten-Baumann, and intramolecular ester amidation) of tetrahydro-β-carbolinediketopiperazines starting from tryptophan methyl ester was achieved with good isolated yields (49-69%) in only 5 min.     

Extraction and high performance liquid chromatographic determination of 3-indole butyric acid in pea plants by using imidazolium-based ionic liquids as extractant

In this paper, imidazolium-based ionic liquids [C₄mim][PF₆], [C₆mim][PF₆], [C₈mim][PF₆], [C₆mim][BF₄] and [C₈mim][BF₄] were tested as extracting solvents for removal of 3-indole butyric acid (IBA) from aqueous media with subsequent determination using HPLC. Percent extraction of IBA was strongly affected by pH of aqueous phases and the chemical structures of ionic liquids (ILs). Extraction of IBA was quantitative in the pH values lower than pK_a of IBA. Considering both extraction and stripping efficiencies of IBA, [C₄mim][PF₆] was found to act more efficient than other studied ILs. Capacity of [C₄mim][PF₆] was 17.6 × 10⁻⁴ mmol IBA per 1.0 mL of IL. Ionic strength of aqueous phase and temperature had shown no serious effects on extraction efficiency of IBA. A preconcentration factor of 100 and a relative standard deviation of 1.16% were obtained. It was found that ionic liquid phase was reusable almost five times for extraction/stripping purposes. 3-Indole acetic acid showed interferential effect in the extraction step. In order to assess the applicability of the method, extraction and stripping of IBA from pea plants and some other samples were studied.     

离子液体型表面活性剂研究

以1-甲基咪唑为原料, 制备了6个常规离子液体: 1-正丁基-3-甲基咪唑四氟硼酸盐及六氟磷酸盐(简称[bmim][BF₄]及[bmim][PF₆])、1-正己基-3-甲基咪唑四氟硼酸盐及六氟磷酸盐(简称[hmim][BF₄]及[hmim][PF₆])、1-正十六烷基-3-甲基咪唑四氟硼酸盐及六氟磷酸盐(简称[C₁₆mim][BF₄]及[C₁₆mim][PF₆])和4个功能化离子液体: 1-(2-羟乙基)-3-甲基咪唑四氟硼酸盐及六氟磷酸盐(简称[2-hemim][BF₄]及[2-hemim][PF₆])、1-乙氧羰基甲基-3-甲基咪唑四氟硼酸盐及六氟磷酸盐(简称[eocmmim][BF₄]及[eocmmim][PF₆]). 研究了这两类离子液体的一些物理性能, 旨在挖掘离子液体在香料香精化妆品工业中的应用价值. 分别检测了它们与一般溶剂的互溶性, 并测定了它们的表面张力和发泡性能, 实验结果表明, 仅[C₁₆mim][BF₄]和[C₁₆mim][PF₆]具有发泡性能, 发泡力分别为68和120 mm.     

The Synthesis of Anatase TiO2 Nanoparticles by Solvothermal Method using Ionic Liquid as Additive

The solvothermal reactions of Ti(OiPr)₄ in alcohol using ionic liquid as additive were investigated. In the presence of [BMIM][Cl], [BMIM][Br], [BMIM][NTf₂], [BMIM][SO₃Me], [BMIM][SO₄Me], or [BMIM][OTf] (BMIM = 1‐Butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium), pure anatase nanoparticles were obtained. The controlled hydrolysis of Ti(OiPr)₄ in the presence of ionic liquids to form titanium oxo clusters plays a key role in the formation of anatase nanostructures, and ionic liquids can be repeatedly used to synthesise anatase nanoparticles. However, in the presence of [BMIM][PF₆], [BMIM]₂[Ti(OH)₆] was obtained by an anion exchange reaction.     

Solvent relaxation of a room-temperature ionic liquid [bmim][PF6] confined in a ternary microemulsion

In this paper we have reported the solvent and rotational relaxation of 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF₆]) confined in tween 20/([bmim][PF₆]/water microemulsion using coumarin 153 (C-153) as probe. The most interesting feature of our experiment was that we observed an increase in solvent relaxation time with increase in R (R = tween 20-to-[bmim][PF₆] molar ratio). This is due to the fact that with increase in [bmim][PF₆] content of the microemulsions, the microviscosity of the pool of the microemulsions increases, and motion of ions of [bmim][PF₆] is hindered in the pool of microemulsions. Since motion of ions is responsible for solvation in room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), solvent-relaxation time increases with increase in R.     

Diffusion Coefficients of Imidazolium Based Ionic Liquids in Aqueous Solutions

Diffusion coefficients of the ionic liquids [C₂MIM][EtSO₄], [C₄MIM][OcSO₄], [C₂MIM][NTf₂] and [C₄MIM][NTf₂] in water at high dilution have been measured using the Taylor dispersion technique. Data on the diffusion coefficients have been obtained for each solute at six temperatures between 288 and 313 K. The data have been fitted by the Arrhenius equation and activation energies of diffusion have been determined. Effective radii of the ionic liquid molecules have also been obtained using the Stokes–Einstein relationship.     

Isotope effects on miscibility of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl imides with aromatic hydrocarbons

The liquid–liquid miscibility temperatures as a function of composition and deuterium substitution have been experimentally determined for the binary mixtures of 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl imide, [C₁₀MIM][NTf₂], and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl imide, [C₁₂MIM][NTf₂] with benzene and toluene and their deuterated forms. All systems exhibit upper critical solution temperatures (UCSTs) and better miscibility for ionic liquids with longer alkyl chain. The interchange of benzene for toluene results in worse miscibility for [C₁₀MIM][NTf₂] and better for [C₁₂MIM][NTf₂]. Deuteration of the aromatics leads to better miscibility in each case. The sign of the isotope effect is in agreement with expectations and its value seems to be seriously affected by the neighborhood of the hypercritical state.     

Evaluation and comparison of global scalar properties for the simultaneous interaction of ionic liquids with thiophene and pyridine

Ab initio studies were carried out with mixtures containing ionic liquid with thiophene and pyridine for studying the simultaneous interaction. Global scalar properties such as HOMO/LUMO energies, HOMO–LUMO energy gap, chemical hardness, chemical potential, electronegativity, global hardness, global softness and electrophilicity index were determined for clusters containing ionic liquids with thiophene and pyridine. Ionic liquids containing: 1-butyl-3-methylpyrrolidinium [BUMPYR], 1-benzyl-3-methyimidazolioum [BeMIM] and 1-butyl-3-methylpyridinium [BUMPY] cations combined with inorganic anions containing fluorine ([BF₄] and [PF₆]) were studied in this work. [BeMIM][BF₄] (1-benzyl-3-methyimidazolioum tetrafluoroborate) with a HOMO–LUMO energy gap of 0.1882 Hartrees was found to be the most effective IL. Further a ranking based on all the mentioned scalar parameters also pointed out [BeMIM][BF₄] to be the most desirable IL. The overall ranking after taking into considerations all factors followed: [BeMIM][BF₄] > [BUMPYR][BF₄] > [BUMPY][PF₆] > [BUMPY][BF₄] > [BUMPYR][PF₆]. To validate the findings, infinite dilution activity coefficients were predicted using the quantum chemical based COSMO-RS methodology which gave the same trend as observed using scalar properties.     

1,3-Cycloaddition of nitrile oxides in ionic liquids. An easier route to 3-carboxy isoxazolines, potential constrained glutamic acid analogues

Several improvements in the cycloaddition of carboethoxyformonitrile oxide (CEFNO) with different alkenes are observed in the ionic liquids [bmim][BF₄] and [bmim][PF₆]. The possibility of obtaining good yields of the corresponding isoxazolines opens the way towards parallel collections of glutamic acid (Glu) analogues.     

Cross-condensation of derivatives of cyanoacetic acid and carbonyl compounds. 2. One-pot synthesis of substituted 2-amino-7-methyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydropyrano[4,3-b]pyrans in ethanol and ionic liquid [bmim][PF6]

The three-component reaction of 4-hydroxy-6-methylpyran-2(2H)-one with cyanoacetic acid derivatives and carbonyl compounds in EtOH or in the ionic liquid, viz., 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolinium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF₆]), affords substituted 2-amino-7-methyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydropyrano[4,3-b]pyrans. The yield of substituted pyrano[4,3-b]pyrans in [bmim][PF₆] is by 10—14% higher than that in EtOH.