X-Ray absorption spectroscopy investigation of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide salts

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has been used to unveil the bromide ion local coordination structure in 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide [C(n)mim]Br ionic liquids (ILs) with different alkyl chains. The XAS spectrum of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide has been found to be different from those of the other members of the series, from the butyl to the decyl derivatives, that have all identical XAS spectra. This result indicates that starting from 1-buthyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide the local molecular arrangement around the bromide anion is the same independently from the length of the alkyl chain, and that the imidazolium head groups in the liquid ILs with long alkyl chains assume locally the same orientation as in the [C(4)mim]Br crystal. With this study we show that the XAS technique is an effective direct tool for unveiling the local structural arrangements around selected atoms in ILs.     

Synergic effects of imidazolium ionic liquids on P123 mixed micelles for inducing micro/mesoporous materials

A series of micro/mesoporous silica composites were synthesized with P123 and imidazolium ILs ([C(n)mim]X) as the co-templates. [C(n)mim]X showed notable synergic interaction with P123. By changing the alkyl chain length n in methylimidazolium, ring-like micropores were observed in the wall of the mesoporous materials when n = 4. While increasing n to 10, micropores and mesopores were found in different separated regions. Various anions of Cl(-), Br(-), and BF(4)(-) of ILs have little effect on the aggregation behavior of P123/C4X mixed micelles. The strong hydrogen bonding effect of BF(4)(-) has resulted in the ordered mesoporous channels with numerous micropores in the wall at a low temperature of 313 K. Hydrophobic C4PF(6) can only be solubilized in the core of P123 micelles, which resulted in the swelling of P123/C4PF(6) mixed aggregates and the ordered hexagonal porous silica materials at 313 K. The fundamental understanding of the synergic interaction and formation mechanisms of various porous silica materials can provide a general convenient way toward a rational design and synthesis of the micro/mesoporous composites.     

Effects of Cationic Structure on Cellulose Dissolution in Ionic Liquids: A Molecular Dynamics Study

In recent years, great progress has been made in the dissolution of cellulose with ionic liquids (ILs). However, the mechanism of cellulose dissolution, especially the role the IL cation played in the dissolution process, has not been clearly understood. Herein, the mixtures of cellulose with a series of imidazolium‐based chloride ionic liquids and 1‐butyl‐3‐methyl pyridinium chloride ([C₄mpy]Cl) were simulated to study the effect that varying the heterocyclic structure and alkyl chain length of the IL cation has on the dissolution of cellulose. It was shown that the dissolution of cellulose in [C₄mpy]Cl is better than that in [C₄mim]Cl. For imidazolium‐based ILs, the shorter the alkyl chain is, the higher the solubility will be. In addition, an all‐atom force field for 1‐allyl‐3‐methyl imidazolium cation ([Amim]⁺) was developed, for the first time, to investigate the effect the electron‐withdrawing group within the alkyl chain of the IL cation has on the dissolution of cellulose. It was found that the interaction energy between [Amim]⁺ and cellulose was greater than that between [C₃mim]⁺ and cellulose, indicating that the presence of electron‐withdrawing group in alkyl chain of the cation enhanced the interaction between the cation and cellulose due to the increase of electronegativity of the cations. These findings are used to assess the cationic effect on the dissolution of cellulose in ILs. They are also expected to be important for rational design of novel ILs for efficient dissolution of cellulose.     

Aggregation of ionic liquids [C(n)mim]Br (n = 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) in D2O: a NMR study

Aqueous solutions of five ionic liquids (ILs) of the 1-n-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide family, [C(n)mim]Br (n = 4, 6, 8, 10, 12), were investigated by NMR measurements at 298.2 K as a function of IL concentrations. Critical aggregation concentrations and aggregation numbers of these ILs were determined by 1H NMR except for [C4mim]Br in D2O. The effects of the alkyl chain length of the cations were examined on the aggregation behavior of the ILs. 1H NMR data of the solvent D2O were used to investigate the hydration of the ILs in D2O, and it was found that the ionic hydration and the cation-anion association or aggregation of the ILs offset each other. The microenvironment of different protons of cations of the ILs in the aggregates was probed by determining the spin-lattice relaxation rate (1/T1). It is suggested that the imidazolium rings in the aggregates are exposed to water and that the molecular motion of the aggregates is more restricted than that of the monomers of the ILs. Furthermore, a stair-like microscopic aggregation structure is suggested for the [C(n)mim]Br/D2O (n = 6, 8, 10) systems from 2-D 1H-1H NOESY measurements.     

Study of the Alkyl Chain Length on Laccase Stability and Enzymatic Kinetic with Imidazolium Ionic Liquids

The activity and stability of laccase and their kinetic mechanisms in water soluble ionic liquids (ILs): 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride [C₄mim][Cl], 1-octyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride [C₈mim][Cl], and 1-decyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride [C₁₀mim][Cl] were investigated. The results show that an IL concentration up to 10% is satisfactory for initial laccase activity at pH 9.0. The laccase stability was well maintained in [C₄mim][Cl] IL when compared to the control. The inactivation of laccase increases with the length of the alkyl chain in the IL: [C₁₀mim][Cl] > [C₈mim][Cl] > [C₄mim][Cl]. The kinetic studies in the presence of ABTS as substrate allowed calculating the Michaelis–Menten parameters. Among the ILs, [C₄mim][Cl] was the suitable choice attending to laccase activity and stability. Alkyl chains in the ions of ILs have a deactivating effect on laccase, which increases strongly with the length of the alkyl chain.     

离子液体表面活性剂1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑烷基硫酸酯的合成及其在水溶液中的聚集行为

采用离子交换法,由1-丁基-3甲基咪唑氯盐（C4mimCl）和烷基硫酸钠合成了一系列无卤素的阴离子表面活性离子液体—1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑烷基硫酸酯[C4mim][CnH2n 1SO4](n=8,12,16),利用表面张力仪、稳态荧光光谱等手段考察了表面活性离子液体在水溶液表面及体相中的聚集行为,结果表明,与传统无机反离子相比,有机咪唑阳离子[C4mim] 作为反离子的离子液体型表面活性剂具有较高的表面活性,[C4mim] 产生的氢键引起的抑制分子规则排列的作用小于其促进分子有序排列的疏水作用。长烷基链的阴离子是界面膜及胶束的主要组成成分,阴离子疏水烷基碳链的增长虽然可促进胶束的形成,但却在一定程度上抑制[C4mim] 离子参与界面或胶束的形成;阴离子所带烷基链越长,越不利于阳离子[C4mim]＋参与界面膜或胶束的形成,界面膜或胶束中表面活性剂排布越松散,即界面张力越大,体系中胶束聚集数较小。     

离子液体在多水相液液平衡体系中的作用

通过用短链离子液体(1-乙基-3-甲基咪唑溴盐[C2mim]Br、1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑溴盐[C4mim]Br)部分或全部取代SDS/DTAB/PEG/NaBr/H2O多水相体系中的无机盐NaBr,用长链离子液体十二烷基-3-甲基咪唑溴盐[C12mim]Br部分取代体系中阳离子表面活性剂DTAB,系统研究了离子液体在分相体系中的作用及其对分相体系性质的影响.研究表明,SDS/DTAB/PEG/NaBr/H2O混合体系形成的四水相体系可以看作"聚合物双水相"与"表面活性剂双水相"共存的结果.短链离子液体([C2mim]Br、[C4mim]Br)较强的亲水性能赋予其较强的盐析能力,在混合体系中表现出明显的盐效应,保证了四水相体系中"聚合物双水相"的存在.短链离子液体与聚合物之间的相互作用及其对表面活性剂之间相互作用的影响均不可忽略.对混合体系的相行为,共存多相的性质有重要的影响.而长链离子液体[C12mim]Br主要通过自身的疏水作用影响"表面活性剂双水相"的性质,充当表面活性剂的角色.然而,[C12mim]Br与DTAB分子结构上的差异,导致表面活性剂分子在"表面活性剂双水相"的两相重新分配,影响了对应两相的体积及萃取能力.可见,通过调节离子液体的烷基链长、混合体系中的含量等可获得具有特定性质的多水相体系.     

Vaporization enthalpies of imidazolium based ionic liquids: dependence on alkyl chain length

Vaporization enthalpies of a series of ten 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ionic liquids (ILs) [C(n) mim][NTf(2) ] with alkyl chain lengths of n=2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 are determined by using a recently developed quartz crystal microbalance method. Due to the high sensitivity of the microbalance vapor studies can be extended to temperatures 60-100 K lower than those available with other methods. The results reveal a remarkably linear dependence of the vaporization enthalpies on the chain length at the reference temperature of 298 K.     

Phase separation in mixtures of ionic liquids and water

The phase separation of ionic liquids (ILs) in water is studied by laser light scattering (LLS). For the ILs with longer alkyl chains, such as [C(8)mim]BF(4) and [C(6)mim]BF(4) (mim = methylimidazolium), macroscopic phase separation occurs in the mixture with water. LLS also reveals the coexistence of the mesoscopic phase, the size of which is in the order of 100-800 nm. In aqueous mixtures of ILs with shorter alkyl chains, such as [C(4)mim]BF(4), only the mesoscopic phase exists. The mesoscopic phase can be effectively removed by filtration through a 0.22 μm filter. However, it reforms with time and can be enhanced by lowering the temperature, thus indicating that it is controlled by thermodynamics. The degree of mesoscopic phase separation can be used to evaluate the miscibility of ILs with water. This study helps to optimize the applications of ILs in related fields, as well as the recycling of ILs in the presence of water.     

Local structure at the air/liquid interface of room-temperature ionic liquids probed by infrared-visible sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy: 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborates

The air/liquid interface of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborates with the general formula [C(n)mim]BF(4) (n = 4-11) was studied using infrared-visible sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. The probability of the gauche defect per CH2-CH2 bond in the alkyl chain decreases as the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain increases. This observation suggests that the interaction between the alkyl chains is enhanced as the alkyl chain length becomes longer. The frequencies of the C-H stretching vibrational modes observed in the SFG spectra are higher than those of the corresponding peak positions observed in the infrared spectra of the bulk liquids. This shift is consistent with a structure in which the alkyl chain protrudes from the bulk liquid into the air. A local structure, which originates from the intermolecular interaction between the ionic liquid molecules, is proposed to explain these observations.     

Ionic liquids based microwave-assisted extraction of lichen compounds with quantitative spectrophotodensitometry analysis

Ionic liquids based extraction method has been applied to the effective extraction of norstictic acid, a common depsidone isolated from Pertusaria pseudocorallina, a crustose lichen. Five 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) differing in composition of alkyl chain and anion were investigated for extraction efficiency. The extraction amount of norstictic acid was determined after recovery on HPTLC with a spectrophotodensitometer. The proposed approaches (IL-MAE and IL-heat extraction (IL-HE)) have been evaluated in comparison with usual solvents such as tetrahydrofuran in heat-reflux extraction and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). The results indicated that both the characteristics of the alkyl chain and anion influenced the extraction of polyphenolic compounds. The sulfate-based ILs [C(1)mim][MSO(4)] and [C(2)mim][ESO(4)] presented the best extraction efficiency of norstictic acid. The reduction of the extraction times between HE and MAE (2 h-5 min) and a non-negligible ratio of norstictic acid in total extract (28%) supports the suitability of the proposed method. This approach was successfully applied to obtain additional compounds from other crustose lichens (Pertusaria amara and Ochrolechia parella).     

Colloidal stability of bare and polymer-grafted silica nanoparticles in ionic liquids

The colloidal stability of bare and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-grafted silica nanoparticles was studied in 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ([C(n)mim])-based ionic liquids (ILs) with different anionic structures. The theoretical estimation of the colloidal interaction between monodispersed bare silica particles by using the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory indicates that bare silica particles cannot be stabilized and they rapidly form aggregates in all the ILs used in this study. The instability of bare silica particles was experimentally confirmed by dynamic light scattering measurement and in situ transmission electron microscopy observations by utilizing the negligible vapor pressure of ILs. This evidence suggests that electrostatic stabilization is inefficient in ILs because of the high ionic atmosphere and the resulting surface-charge screening. The PMMA-grafted silica particles exhibited long-term colloidal stability in [C(4)mim][PF(6)] and [C(n)mim][NTf(2)], which are compatible with the grafted PMMA. On the other hand, the PMMA-grafted particles could not be stabilized in [C 4mim][BF 4] due to the poor solubility of the grafted PMMA in the IL. Effective steric stabilization is important for obtaining stable colloidal particles in ILs.     

Studies of structural, dynamical, and interfacial properties of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide ionic liquids by molecular dynamics simulation

Bulk and surface properties of the ionic liquids 1-alkyl-3-methyl-imidazolium iodides ([C(n)mim]I) were simulated by classical molecular dynamics using all atom non-polarizable force field (n = 4, butyl; 6, hexyl; 8, octyl). The structure of ionic liquids were initially optimized by density functional theory and atomic charges obtained by CHELPG method. Reduction of partial atomic charges (by 20% for simulation of density and surface tension, and by 10% for viscosity) found to improve the accuracy, while a non-polarizable force field was applied. Additionally, the simulation ensembles approach the equilibrium faster when the charge reduction is applied. By these refined force field parameters, simulated surface tensions in the range of 323-393 k are quite in agreement with the experiments. Simulation of temperature dependent surface tension of [C(4)mim]I well beyond room temperature (up to 700 K) permits prediction of the critical temperature in agreement with that predicted from experimental surface tension data. Simulated densities in the range of 298-450 K for the three ionic liquids are within 0.8% of the experimental data. Structural properties for [C(4)mim]I were found to be in agreement with the results of Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulation we performed, which indicates a rather well-structured cation-anion interaction and occurs essentially through the imidazolium ring cation. Diffusion coefficient changes with alkyl chain length in the order of [C(8)mim]I > [C(6)mim]I > [C(4)mim]I for the cation and the anion. Formation of a dense domain in subsurface region is quite evident, and progressively becomes denser as the alkyl chain length increases. Bivariate orientational analysis was used to determine the average orientation of molecule in ionic liquids surface, subsurface, and bulk regions. Dynamic bisector-wise and side-wise movement of the imodazolium ring cation in the surface region can be deduced from the bivariate maps. Atom-atom density profile and bivariate analysis indicate that the imidazolium cation takes a spoon like configuration in the surface region and the tilt of alkyl group is a function length of alkyl chain exposing as linear as possible to the vapor phase.     

咪唑氟硼酸类离子液体熔点与分子内相互作用能的关系

运用密度泛函理论B3LYP方法及6-311++G(d,p)基组对11种咪唑氟硼酸离子液体进行了研究.选择相应化合物的离子体系{[XIM][BF4]n}(n-1)-(n=2,3)作为研究对象,即研究体系由一个烷基咪唑阳离子XIM+和2-3个BF4-阴离子构成,对其进行结构优化.在优化得到的最低能量构型的基础上计算了分子内阳离子与阴离子间的相互作用能,同时考虑了基组重叠误差的修正.结果表明所研究离子体系的离子间相互作用能与离子液体的实验熔点之间存在明确的线性关系,并且所得到的线性方程与氨基酸阳离子型离子液体中存在的线性关系相近.我们的工作为今后借助量子化学方法设计功能化离子液体提供了一定的理论基础.     

Conductivities, volumes, fluorescence, and aggregation behavior of ionic liquids [C4mim][BF4] and [C(n)mim]Br (n = 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) in aqueous solutions

Densities, conductivities, and polarity indexes of pyrene for aqueous solutions of a series of ionic liquids [C(n)mim]Br (n = 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) and [C4mim][BF4] have been determined at 298.15 K as a function of ionic liquid concentrations. It was shown that possible aggregation appeared for the ionic liquids in aqueous solutions except for [C4mim]Br. The critical aggregation concentration (CAC) of the ionic liquids, the ionization degree of aggregates (beta), the standard Gibbs energy of aggregation (Delta G(m)(o)), the limiting molar conductivity (Lambda(m)(o)), and the standard partial molar volume (V(m)(o)) for the ionic liquids were derived from the experimental data. The dependence of the CAC, Delta G(m)(o), Lambda(m)(o), and V(m)(o) on the length of the alkyl chain of the cations was examined. It was further suggested from volumetric data that a micelle was formed for [C8mim]Br, [C10mim]Br, and [C12mim]Br in aqueous solutions. Their apparent molar volumes at the critical micelle concentration (V Phi,CMC), apparent molar volumes in the micelle phase (V(Phi)(mic)), and the change of their apparent molar volume upon micellization (Delta V Phi,m) were calculated by application of the pseudophase model of micellization. In addition, the average aggregation number of [C(n)mim]Br (n = 8, 10, 12) has been determined by the steady-state fluorescence quenching technique, and predicted from a simple geometrical mode. It is found that the experimental values are in good agreement with the predicted ones.     

Investigation of the Role of Ionic Liquids in Tuning the p<Emphasis Type="Italic">K</Emphasis><Subscript>a</Subscript> Values of Some Anionic Indicators

The effect of imidazolium-based ionic liquids, ([C₁₂mim][Cl] and [C₈mim][Cl]), on the acid-base equilibria of two sulfonated indicators has been studied. The presence of ILs leads to decreased pK _a values because of the stronger electrostatic interaction of cationic ILs with the basic forms of the indicators with more negative charge. The longer alkyl side chain of [C₁₂mim][Cl] compared to [C₈mim][Cl] results in stronger hydrophobic interaction of this IL with the basic forms of the dyes leading to a more effective decrease in the pK _a values. Also, the transition points and transition intervals of the acid-base titration curves of the indicators were affected by the presence of ILs. It was found that the IL interaction with acid-base indicators also results in sharpening the acid-base titration curves of the indicators. From these observations, it is concluded that the presence of ILs can tune the pK _a values of indicators. All the experiments were performed spectrophotometrically and the results were obtained using curve fitting methods.     

咪唑类离子液体与酪氨酸相互作用及机理的密度泛函理论研究

Ionic liquids (ILs) are thermally and chemically stable and have adjustable structures, which gives them the potential to be used as green, efficient biomolecular solvents. Given the critical role of ILs in dissolving biomolecules, the mechanism of interaction between them deserves further study. Herein, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, using the SMD implicit water solvent model, were employed to study the interaction and mechanism between a hydrophobic zwitterionic amino acid (Tyr) and a series of imidazolium ILs with different alkyl chain lengths and methylation sites. The contributions of hydrogen bonding (H-bonding), electrostatic effects, induction, and dispersion to the intermolecular interactions were determined by combining the symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT), the atoms in molecules (AIM) theory, and reduced density gradient (RDG) analysis. The results indicate that the H-bonding between the IL cation and Tyr is stronger than that between the IL anion and Tyr; however, the binding between either ion and Tyr is dominated by electrostatic effects. By contrast, the difference between the induction and dispersion forces is small when methylation occurs on the C2 site of the imidazolium cation; whereas, it is significantly large when methylation takes place on the N3 site. This is rationalized by the interaction patterns that vary based on the methylation site. H-bonding and π⁺-π stacking interactions between the imidazole and benzene rings are dominant during C2-methylation, while H-bonding and C_Alkyl-H…π interactions between the alkyl chain and benzene ring are dominant during N3-methylation. Increasing the side alkyl chain length has different effects on the interaction energy to cations with different methylation sites. During N3-methylation, when the side alkyl chain length increases from 4 to 12, there are significant van der Waals interactions between the Tyr benzene and the side alkyl chain. However, these van der Waals interactions are inapparent when methylation takes place on the C2 site. Finally, the synergetic effect of the H-bonding and the interaction between the benzene and the side alkyl chain for C2-methylation is greater than the H-bonding and the interaction between the imidazole and benzene rings for N3-methylation, when the side alkyl chain length n > 9. Therefore, the interaction strength and mechanism in these imidazolium-Tyr complexes can be regulated by changing the methylation site and the side alkyl chain length of the cation. Further study of ion-pair and Tyr reveals that the change tendency of the interaction energy of IL-Tyr systems is consistent with that of cation-Tyr cases, and the ion pair further stabilizes the binding with Tyr. These results illustrate the interaction mechanism of IL-Tyr systems and provide a novel strategy for the design and screening of functional ILs for amino acid extraction and separation in the future.     

Ionic Association of the Ionic Liquids [C4mim][BF4], [C4mim][PF6], and [Cnmim]Br in Molecular Solvents

Considering the ionic nature of ionic liquids (ILs), ionic association is expected to be essential in solutions of ILs and to have an important influence on their applications. Although numerous studies have been reported for the ionic association behavior of ILs in solution, quantitative results are quite scarce. Herein, the conductivities of the ILs [C_nmim]Br (n=4, 6, 8, 10, 12), [C₄mim][BF₄], and [C₄mim][PF₆] in various molecular solvents (water, methanol, 1‐propanol, 1‐pentanol, acetonitrile, and acetone) are determined at 298.15 K as a function of IL concentration. The conductance data are analyzed by the Lee–Wheaton conductivity equation in terms of the ionic association constant (K_A) and the limiting molar conductance (Λ_m⁰). Combined with the values for the Br^? anion reported in the literature, the limiting molar conductivities and the transference numbers of the cations and [BF₄]^? and [PF₆]^? anions are calculated in the molecular solvents. It is shown that the alkyl chain length of the cations and type of anion affect the ionic association constants and limiting molar conductivities of the ILs. For a given anion (Br^?), the Λ_m⁰ values decrease with increasing alkyl chain length of the cations in all the molecular solvents, whereas the K_A values of the ILs decrease in organic solvents but increase in water as the alkyl chain length of the cations increases. For the [C₄mim]⁺ cation, the limiting molar conductivities of the ILs decrease in the order Br^?>[BF₄]^?>[PF₆]^?, and their ionic association constants follow the order [BF₄]^?>[PF₆]^?>Br^? in water, acetone, and acetonitrile. Furthermore, and similar to the classical electrolytes, a linear relationship is observed between ln K_A of the ILs and the reciprocal of the dielectric constants of the molecular solvents. The ILs are solvated to a different extent by the molecular solvents, and ionic association is affected significantly by ionic solvation. This information is expected to be useful for the modulation of the IL conductance by the alkyl chain length of the cations, type of anion, and physical properties of the molecular solvents.     

Aggregation behavior of a model ionic liquid surfactant in monosaccharide + water solutions

Alkylimidazolium salts are a very important class of ionic liquids (ILs). The ILs containing long alkyl chains are a kind of model surfactants. In this paper, the aggregation behavior of 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C(10)mim]Cl) was investigated for the first time in aqueous monosaccharide (glucose, galactose, xylose and arabinose) solutions by conductivity, fluorescence, NMR and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Thus a series of physico-chemical parameters for the aggregation of [C(10)mim]Cl-the critical aggregation concentration (CAC), ionization degree of the aggregates (α), the standard Gibbs energy of aggregation (ΔG(m)(0)), and the aggregation number (N) were derived from the experimental data. The results show that addition of small amounts of monosaccharides in aqueous solution can cause a variation in aggregation properties of the IL. The CAC values decrease with increasing molality of monosaccharides. In particular for different kinds of monosaccharides, we found that the CAC values are in the order: glucose>galactose (hexoses), xylose>arabinose (pentoses); xylose>glucose (1e2e3e4e), arabinose>galactoses (1e2e3e4a). These trends may be attributed to the slight difference in the stereo-structure of monosaccharide molecules. Finally a mechanism for the interaction of these monosaccharides with [C(10)mim]Cl was proposed.