| Abstract: | Changes of the fluid phase behaviour of polyethylene glycol (PEG) aqueous solutions – viz. critical solution temperature shifts at atmospheric pressure – were produced by the addition of different ionic liquids,
namely 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate and 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (alkyl = ethyl to decyl). The addition
of ionic liquids with long alkyl chains improves the solubility of PEG in water (salting-in effect), whereas the impact of short-chain ionic liquids is usually the contrary (salting-out effect).
The results are interpreted taking into account the kosmotropic (water-structuring) or chaotropic (water-structure-breaking)
nature of ionic liquids, as compared to other inorganic salts. |
