Electrode kinetics and mechanism of iodine reduction in the room-temperature ionic liquid [C(4)mim][NTf2]

The fast electrochemical reduction of iodine in the RTIL 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl-sulfonyl)imide, [C(4)mim][NTf2], is reported and the kinetics and mechanism of the process elucidated. Two reduction peaks were observed. The first reduction peak is assigned to the process

Liquid structure of the ionic liquid, 1-methyl-4-cyanopyridinium bis{(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl}imide determined from neutron scattering and molecular dynamics simulations

The liquid structure of 1-methyl-4-cyanopyridinium bis {(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl}imide, a prototypical ionic liquid containing an electron-withdrawing group on the cation, has been investigated at 368 K. Experimental neutron scattering combined with empirical potential structure refinement analysis of the data and classical molecular dynamics simulations have been used to probe the liquid structure in detail. Both techniques generated highly consistent results that provide valuable validation of the force fields and refinement approaches. A significant degree of apparent charge ordering is found in the liquid structure, although the nonspherical shape of the ions results in interpenetration of cations into the first shell of adjacent cations, with much shorter closest contact distances than the averaged center-of-mass cation-cation and cation-anion separations.

Electrooxidation of the iodides [C(4)mim]I, LiI, NaI, KI, RbI, and CsI in the room temperature ionic liquid [C(4)mim][NTf2]

The electrochemical oxidation of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide, [C(4)mim]I, has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry at a platinum microelectrode at varying concentrations in the RTIL 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [C(4)mim][NTf2]. Two oxidation peaks were observed. The first peak is assigned to the oxidation of iodide to triiodide, in an overall two-electron process: 3I(-)- 2e(-) -> I-3(-). At higher potentials, the electrogenerated triiodide oxidizes to iodine, in an overall one-electron process: I-3(-) - e(-) -> 3/2I(2). An average diffusion coefficient, D, for I- of 1.55 x 10(-11) m(2) s(-1) was obtained. A digital simulation program was used to simulate the voltammetric response, and kinetic parameters were successfully extracted. The parameters deduced from the simulation include D for I-, I-3(-), and I-2 and K-eq,K-2, the equilibrium constant for the reaction of iodide and iodine to form triiodide. Values for these parameters are of the same order as those previously published for the oxidation of Br- in the same RTIL [Allen et al. J. Electroanal. Chem. 2005, 575, 311]. Next, the cyclic voltammetry of five different inorganic iodide salts was studied by dissolving small amounts of the solid in [C(4)mim][NTf2]. Similar oxidation peaks were observed, revealing diffusion coefficients of ca. 0.55, 1.14, 1.23, 1.44, and 1.33 x 10(-11) m(2) s(-1) and solubilities of 714, 246, 54, 83, and 36 mM for LiI, NaI, KI, RbI, and CsI, respectively. The slightly smaller diffusion coefficients for the XI salts (compared to [C(4)mim]I) may indicate that I- is ion-paired with Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, and Cs+ in the RTIL medium.

Prediction of ionic liquid properties. I. Volumetric properties as a function of temperature at 0.1 MPa

The prediction of molar volumes and densities of several ionic liquids has been achieved using a group contribution model as a function of temperature between (273 and 423) K at atmospheric pressure. It was observed that the calculation of molar volumes or densities could be performed using the "ideal" behavior of the molar volumes of mixtures of ionic liquids. This model is based on the observations of Canongia Lopes et al. (J. Phys. Chem. B 2005, 109, 3519-3525) which showed that this ideal behavior is independent of the temperature and allows the molar volume of a given ionic liquid to be calculated by the sum of the effective molar volume of the component ions. Using this assumption, the effective molar volumes of ions constituting more than 220 different ionic liquids were calculated as a function of the temperature at 0.1 MPa using more than 2150 data points. These calculated results were used to build up a group contribution model for the calculation of ionic liquid molar volumes and densities with an estimated repeatability and uncertainty of 0.36% and 0.48%, respectively. The impact of impurities (water and halide content) in ionic liquids as well as the method of determination were also analyzed and quantified to estimate the overall uncertainty. © 2008 American Chemical Society.

Glucose solvation by the ionic liquid 1,3-dimethylimidazolium chloride: A simulation study

Simulations of beta-glucose in the ionic liquid 1,3-dimethylimidazoliurn chloride have been performed in order to examine the solvation environment of the carbohydrate. Both single molecule and 1:5 glucose:ionic liquid (16.7 wt %) solutions are Studied, and the hydrogen bonding between sugar and solvent is examined. The primary solvation shell around the perimeter of the glucose ring consists predominantly of chloride anions which hydrogen bond to the hydroxyl groups. A small presence of the cation is also found, with the association Occurring through the weakly acidic hydrogen at the 2-position of the imidazolium ring interacting with the oxygen atoms of the sugar secondary hydroxyls. An average chloride coordination number of 4 is found around the glucose for both the single molecule and high concentration Simulations, despite the reduced chloride:glucose ratio in the latter case. In relation to the cation, the glucose molecules occupy positions above and below the plane of the imidazolium ring. Importantly, even at high glucose concentrations, no significant change in the anion-cation interactions and overall liquid structure of the ionic liquid is found, indicating that the glucose is readily accommodated by the solvent at this concentration. Dominant contributions to the sugar-ionic liquid interaction energy come from favorable hydrogen bonding (electrostatic) interactions between hydroxyls and chlorides, although a small favorable van der Waals energy contribution is also seen between the sugar and cations suggesting that the cation could be tailored in order to further improve the dissolution of glucose/cellulose in ionic liquid systems.

Electrochemical kinetics of Ag vertical bar Ag+ and TMPD vertical bar TMPD+center dot in the room-temperature ionic liquid [C(4)mpyrr][NTf2]; toward optimizing reference electrodes for voltammetry in RTILs

The voltammetry and kinetics of the Ag vertical bar Ag+ system (commonly used as a reference electrode material in both protic/aprotic and RTIL solvents) was studied in the room-temperature ionic liquid N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [C(4)mpyrr][NTf2] on a 10 mu m diameter Pt electrode. For the three silver salts investigated (AgOTf, AgNTf2, and AgNO3, where OTf- = trifluoromethanesulfonate, NTf2- = bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, and NO3- = nitrate), the voltammetry gave rise to a redox couple characteristic of a

Electrochemical oxidation of nitrite and the oxidation and reduction of NO2 in the room temperature ionic liquid [C(2)mim][NTf2]

The electrochemical oxidation of potassium nitrite has been studied in the room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) [C(2)mim][NTf2] by cyclic voltammetry at platinum electrodes. A chemically irreversible oxidation peak was observed, and a solubility of 7.5(+/- 0.5) mM and diffusion coefficient of 2.0(+/- 0.2) x 10(-11) m(2) s(-1) were calculated from potential step chronoamperometry on the microdisk electrode. A second, and sometimes third, oxidation peak was also observed when the anodic limit was extended, and these were provisionally assigned to the oxidation of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrate (NO3-), respectively. The electrochemical oxidation of nitrogen dioxide gas (NO2) was also studied by cyclic voltammetry in [C(2)mim][NTf2] on Pt electrodes of various size, giving a solubility of ca. 51(+/- 0.2) mM and diffusion coefficient of 1.6(+/- 0.05) x 10(-10) m(2) s(-1) (at 25 degrees C). It is likely that NO2 exists predominantly as its dimer, N2O4, at room temperature. The oxidation mechanism follows a CE process, which involves the initial dissociation of the dimer to the monomer, followed by a one-electron oxidation. A second, larger oxidation peak was observed at more positive potentials and is thought to be the direct oxidation of N2O4. In addition to understanding the mechanisms of NO2- and NO2 oxidations, this work has implications in the electrochemical detection of nitrite ions and of NO2 gas in RTIL media, the latter which may be of particular use in gas sensing.

The electrochemical oxidation and reduction of nitrate ions in the room temperature ionic liquid [C(2)mim][NTf2]; the latter behaves as a 'melt' rather than an 'organic solvent'

The electrochemical oxidation of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate [C(4)mim][NO3] was studied by cyclic voltammetry in the room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide [C(2)mim][NTf2]. A sharp peak was observed on a Pt microelectrode (d = 10 mu m), and a diffusion coefficient at infinite dilution of ca. 2.0 x 10(-11) m(2) s(-1) was obtained. Next, the cyclic voltammetry of sodium nitrate (NaNO3) and potassium nitrate (KNO3) was studied, by dissolving small amounts of solid into the RTIL [ C2mim][ NTf2]. Similar oxidation peaks were observed, revealing diffusion coefficients of ca. 8.8 and 9.0 x 10(-12) m(2) s(-1) and solubilities of 11.9 and 10.8 mM for NaNO3 and KNO3, respectively. The smaller diffusion coefficients for NaNO3 and KNO3 (compared to [C(4)mim][NO3]) may indicate that NO3- is ion-paired with Na+ or K+. This work may have applications in the electroanalytical determination of nitrate in RTIL solutions. Furthermore, a reduction feature was observed for both NaNO3 and KNO3, with additional anodic peaks indicating the formation of oxides, peroxides, superoxides and nitrites. This behaviour is surprisingly similar to that obtained from melts of NaNO3 and KNO3 at high temperatures ( ca. 350 - 500 degrees C), and this observation could significantly simplify experimental conditions required to investigate these compounds. We then used X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to suggest that disodium( I) oxide (Na2O), which has found use as a storage compound for hydrogen, was deposited on a Pt electrode surface following the reduction of NaNO3.

Recyclable copper catalysts based on imidazolium-tagged bis(oxazolines): A marked enhancement in rate and enantioselectivity for Diels-Alder reactions in ionic liquid

Imidazolium-tagged bis(oxazolines) have been prepared and used as chiral ligands in the copper(II)-catalysed Diels-Alder reaction of N-acryloyl- and N-crotonoyloxazolidinones with cyclopentadiene and 1,3-cyclohexadiene in the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide, [emim][NTf2]. A significant and substantial enhancement in the rate and enantioselectivity was achieved in [emim][NTf2] compared with dichloromethane. For example, complete conversion and enantioselectivities up to 95 % were obtained for the reaction between N-acryloyloxazolidinone and cyclopentadiene within 2 min in [emim][NTf2] whereas the corresponding reaction in dichloromethane required 60 min to reach completion and gave an ee of only 16 %. The enhanced rates obtained in the ionic liquid enabled a catalyst loading as low as 0.5 mol % to give complete conversion within 2 min while retaining the same level of enantioselectivity. The imidazolium-tagged catalysts can be recycled ten times without any loss in activity or enantioselectivity and showed much higher affinity for the ionic liquid phase during the recycle procedure than the analogous uncharged ligand.

An electrochemical study of PCl3 and POCl3 in the room temperature ionic liquid [C(4)mpyrr][N(Tf)(2)]

Voltammetric studies of PCl3 and POCl3 have not been reported in the literature to date, probably due to the instability of these molecules in conventional aprotic solvents giving unstable and irreproducible results. From a previous study [Amigues et al. Chem. Commun. 2005, 1-4], it was found that ionic liquids have the ability to offer a uniquely stable solution phase environment for the study of these phosphorus compounds. Consequently, the electrochemistry of PCl3 and POCl3 has been studied by cyclic voltammetry on a gold microelectrode in the ionic liquid [C(4)mpyrr][N(Tf)(2)] (1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide). For both compounds, reduction and oxidation waves were observed and a tentative assignment of the waves is given. For PCl3, the reduction was thought to proceed via the following mechanism: PCl3 + e(-) h reversible arrow PCl3-, PCl3- reversible arrow Cl- + (PCl2)-Cl-center dot, (and) Cl- + PCl3 h PCl4-. For POCl3, the suggested reduction mechanism was analogous to that of PCl3: POCl3 + e(-) reversible arrow POCl3-, POCl3- reversible arrow Cl- + (POCl2)-O-center dot, and Cl- + POCl3 h POCl4-. In both cases (PCl2)-Cl-center dot and (POCl2)-O-center dot are likely to engage in further reactions. Potential step microdisk chronoamperometry was carried out on the reductive waves of PCl3 and POCl3 to measure diffusion coefficients and number of electrons transferred. It was found that the diffusion of PCl3 was unusually slow (3.1 x 10(-12) m(2) s(-1)): approximately 1 order of magnitude less than that for POCl3 (2.2 x 10(-11) m(2) s(-1)). For both PCl3 and POCl3, a

Electrochemical reduction of nitrobenzene and 4-nitrophenol in the room temperature ionic liquid [C(4)dmim][N(Tf)(2)]

The reductions of nitrobenzene and 4-nitrophenol were studied by cyclic voltammetry in the room temperature ionic liquid 1-butyl2,3-dimethylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [C(4)dmim][N(Tf)(2)] on a gold microelectrode. Nitrobenzene was reduced reversibly by one electron and further by two electrons in a chemically irreversible step. The more complicated reduction of 4-nitrophenol revealed three reductive peaks (two irreversible and one reversible) which were successfully simulated using the digital simulation program DigiSim((R)) using a mechanism of rapid self-protonation, given below.

Liquid structure of the ionic liquid 1,3-dimethylimidazolium bis{(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl}amide

Neutron diffraction has been used to determine the liquid structure of 1,3-dimethylimidazolium bis{( trifluoromethyl) sulfonyl} amide ([dmim][NTf2]). Significantly smaller charge ordering is found in this liquid compared with analogous chloride and hexafluorophosphate salts due to the diffuse charge density and size of the [NTf2](-) anion. This is manifested in a much larger cation-cation and cation-anion separation and an overlap of the cation-cation and cation-anion shells. Comparison of the liquid structure with the crystal structure reported by Holbrey et al. ( Dalton Trans. 2004, 2267) indicates little correlation, for example, the [NTf2](-) anion adopts a trans orientation predominantly in the liquid whereas a cis orientation is found in the solid phase.

One-pot multistep synthetic strategies for the production of fenpropimorph using an ionic liquid solvent

The one-pot synthesis of the fungicide fenpropimorph has been achieved using two different synthetic strategies in an ionic liquid. The first pathway consists of a Heck coupling followed by reductive amination; the second pathway consists of an aldol condensation followed by hydrogenation/reductive amination. Homogeneous and heterogeneous palladium catalysts have been utilised in the ionic liquid to provide a catalyst/solvent system that is suitable for recycling and process optimisation.

Extended electrochemical windows made accessible by room temperature ionic liquid/organic solvent electrolyte systems

The electrochemical windows of acetonitrile solutions doped with 0.1 m concentrations of several ionic liquids were examined by cyclic voltammetry at gold and platinum microelectrodes. These results were compared with those observed in the commonly used 0.1 m tetrabutylammonium perchlorate/acetonitrile system as well as with neat ionic liquids. The use of a trifluorotris(pentofluoroethyl)phosphate-based ionic liquid, specifically, as supporting electrolyte in acetonitrile solutions affords a wider anodic window, which is attributed to the high stability of the anionic component of these intrinsically conductive and thermally robust compounds.