Molecular Architecture Effects on Bulk Nanostructure in Bis(Orthoborate) Ionic Liquids.

A series of 19 ionic liquids (ILs) based on phosphonium and imidazolium cations of varying alkyl-chain lengths with the orthoborate anions bis(oxalato)borate [BOB]- , bis(mandelato)borate, [BMB]- and bis(salicylato)borate, [BScB]- , are synthesized and studied using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). All measured systems display nanostructuring, with 1-methyl-3-n-alkyl imidazolium-orthoborates forming clearly bicontinuous L3 spongelike phases when the alkyl chains are longer than C6 (hexyl). L3 phases are fitted using the Teubner and Strey model, and diffusely-nanostructured systems are primarily fitted using the Ornstein-Zernicke correlation length model. Strongly-nanostructured systems have a strong dependence on the cation, with molecular architecture variation explored to determine the driving forces for self-assembly. The ability to form well-defined complex phases is effectively extinguished in several ways: methylation of the most acidic imidazolium ring proton, replacing the imidazolium 3-methyl group with a longer hydrocarbon chain, substitution of [BOB]- by [BMB]- , or exchanging the imidazolium for phosphonium systems, irrespective of phosphonium architecture. The results suggest there is only a small window of opportunity, in terms of molecular amphiphilicity and cation:anion volume matching, for the formation of stable extensive bicontinuous domains in pure bulk orthoborate-based ILs. Particularly important for self-assembly processes appear to be the ability to form H-bonding networks, which offer additional versatility in imidazolium systems.

State of anion in ethylammonium nitrate enclosed between micrometer-spaced glass plates as studied by 17O and 15N NMR.

Some aprotic and protic ionic liquids (ILs) containing nitrate anion demonstrate unusual dynamic behavior of cations when these ILs are enclosed in micrometer-spaced layers between glass plates. We applied 17O and 15N NMR spectroscopy to discover the state and transformations of 17O and 15N isotopically enriched nitrate anion of ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) enclosed between glass plates. 15N NMR spectra demonstrated preferential orientation of the principal axes of the nitrate anions perpendicular to the normal of the glass surface. Therefore, isotropic ionic liquid EAN, when placed within a micrometer-spaced enclosure, forms an ordered phase, which is similar to a liquid crystal. The peculiarity of this phase is that the cations do not have a predominant orientation. Other features of this phase that are typical for liquid crystal phases are the changed local and translational dynamics in comparison with the isotropic state and slow transformation occurring under the action of an external magnetic field.

Transition anionic complex in trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium-bis(oxalato)borate ionic liquid - revisited.

It was found that Li[BOB]·nH2O salts were not readily suitable for the synthesis of high-purity orthoborate-based tetraalkylphosphonium ionic liquids, as exemplified here for trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bis(oxalato)borate, [P6,6,6,14][BOB]; along with [BOB]-, a metastable transition anionic complex (TAC) of dihydroxy(oxalato)borate with oxalic acid, [B(C2O4)(OH)2·(HOOC-COOH)]-, was also formed and passed into the ionic liquid in the course of the metathesis reaction with trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride. On the contrary, Na[BOB] was found to be a more suitable reagent for the synthesis of this IL, because [BOB]- anions safely passed into the final IL without hydrolysis, when metathesis reactions were performed using aqueous-free media. Since ultra-pure Na[BOB] is not commercially available, in this work, a preparation protocol for ultra-pure (>99%) Na[BOB] was developed: (i) molar ratios of boric and oxalic acids were optimised to minimise boron-containing impurities, (ii) the Na[BOB] product was thoroughly purified by sequential washing of a fine powder product in hot acetonitrile and ethanol and (iii) characterised using powder X-ray diffraction and solid-state 11B MAS NMR spectroscopy. The physico-chemical properties of the prepared boron-impurity-free IL, i.e., its density, viscosity, electric conductivity, glass-transition temperature and thermal stability, were found to be significantly different from those of the previously reported [P6,6,6,14][BOB], containing ca. 45 mol% of TAC, [B(C2O4)(OH)2·(HOOC-COOH)]-. It was found that a high-purity [P6,6,6,14][BOB] prepared in this work has a considerably lower viscosity, a higher viscosity index and a wider electro-chemical window (ECW) compared to those of the sample of [P6,6,6,14][BOB] with ca. 45 mol% of TAC. Interestingly, [B(C2O4)(OH)2·(HOOC-COOH)]- in the latter sample almost completely transformed into [BOB]- anions upon heating of the IL sample at 413 K for 1 hour, as confirmed using both 11B and 13C NMR. Therefore, in this work, apart from a well-optimised synthetic protocol for boron-impurity-free [P6,6,6,14][BOB], implications of boron-containing transition anionic complexes in tetraalkylphosphonium-orthoborate ILs used in different applications were highlighted.

Rapid carbene formation increases ion diffusivity in an imidazolium acetate ionic liquid confined between polar glass plates.

1-Ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium acetate ([EMIM][OAc]) is one of the most widely used ionic liquids for various applications. This study is focussed on the chemical stability of [EMIM][OAc] on the surfaces of polar glass plates. 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and NMR diffusometry of [EMIM][OAc] IL confined between glass plates with a specific surface area 105-106 m-1 are thoroughly investigated. A rapid and spontaneous reaction took place on the surfaces of glass plates leading to the formation of neutral chemical moieties as evident by the appearance of new signals in the 1H NMR spectra. These new products are assigned as N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) and acetic acid. These neutral chemical moieties have significantly increased the ion diffusivity by dissociation of the cation and the anion in [EMIM][OAc] IL. The yield and rate of formation of NHC and acetic acid are found to increase with the increasing surface area of polar glass plates and the time of contact between the IL and glass surfaces. Based on NMR spectroscopy, a dissociative reaction mechanism is proposed for the formation of free NHC in the neat [EMIM][OAc] IL.

Magnetic field effects dynamics of ethylammonium nitrate ionic liquid confined between glass plates.

Self-diffusion and NMR relaxation of the ethylammonium (EA) cation were studied in the protic ionic liquid, ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), confined between polar glass plates separated by a few µm distance and exposed to an external magnetic field of 9.4 T. The diffusion coefficient of EA (D) and the transverse NMR relaxation rate (1/T2) of -NH3 protons were increased immediately after placing the sample in the magnetic field by factors of ∼2 and ∼22, respectively, in comparison with those of bulk EAN. Further exposure of the sample to the magnetic field led to gradual changes in D, T1 and T2 towards their bulk values with a time constant of ∼70 min. Complete "recovery" of the sample to the "accelerated" D and "shortened" T2 values occurred at longer than 24 hours after the removal of the EAN sample from the magnet. Because the observed characteristic times of the change far exceed the times of molecular processes in EAN, we suggested that this phenomenon is related to reversible phase transformations occurring in confined EAN.

Electro-responsivity of ionic liquid boundary layers in a polar solvent revealed by neutron reflectance.

Using neutron reflectivity, the electro-responsive structuring of the non-halogenated ionic liquid (IL) trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium-bis(mandelato)borate, [P6,6,6,14][BMB], has been studied at a gold electrode surface in a polar solvent. For a 20% w/w IL mixture, contrast matched to the gold surface, distinct Kiessig fringes were observed for all potentials studied, indicative of a boundary layer of different composition to that of the bulk IL-solvent mixture. With applied potential, the amplitudes of the fringes from the gold-boundary layer interface varied systematically. These changes are attributable to the differing ratios of cations and anions in the boundary layer, leading to a greater or diminished contrast with the gold electrode, depending on the individual ion scattering length densities. Such electro-responsive changes were also evident in the reflectivities measured for the pure IL and a less concentrated (5% w/w) IL-solvent mixture at the same applied potentials, but gave rise to less pronounced changes. These measurements, therefore, demonstrate the enhanced sensitivity achieved by contrast matching the bulk solution and that the structure of the IL boundary layers formed in mixtures is strongly influenced by the bulk concentration. Together these results represent an important step in characterising IL boundary layers in IL-solvent mixtures and provide clear evidence of electro-responsive structuring of IL ions in their solutions with applied potential.

Dynamic properties of imidazolium orthoborate ionic liquids mixed with polyethylene glycol studied by NMR diffusometry and impedance spectroscopy.

We used 1 H pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance to study the self-diffusion of polyethylene glycol (PEG) with average molecular mass of 200 and ions in mixtures of PEG with imidazolium bis(mandelato)borate (BMB) and imidazolium bis(oxalato)borate ionic liquids (ILs). The IL was mixed with PEG in the concentration range of 0-100 wt%. Within the temperature range of 295 to 353 K, the diffusion coefficient of BMB is slower than that of the imidazolium cation. The diffusion coefficients of PEG, as well as the imidazolium cation and BMB anions, differ under all experimental conditions tested. This demonstrates that the IL in the mixture is present in at least a partially dissociated state. Generally, increasing the concentration of PEG leads to an increase in the diffusion coefficients of PEG and both the ions and decreases their activation energy for diffusion. Nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shift alteration analysis showed that the presence of PEG changes the chemical shifts of both ions but in different directions. Impedance spectroscopy was used to measure the ionic conductivity of the ILs mixed with PEG. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Acceleration of diffusion in ethylammonium nitrate ionic liquid confined between parallel glass plates.

Diffusion of EAN confined between polar glass plates separated by a few micrometers is higher by a factor of ca. 2 as compared to bulk values. Formation of a new phase, different to the bulk, was suggested.

Amyloid Hydrogen Bonding Polymorphism Evaluated by (15)N{(17)O}REAPDOR Solid-State NMR and Ultra-High Resolution Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry.

A combined approach, using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) and solid-state NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), shows a high degree of polymorphism exhibited by Aß species in forming hydrogen-bonded networks. Two Alzheimer's Aß peptides, Ac-Aß(16-22)-NH2 and Aß(11-25), selectively labeled with (17)O and (15)N at specific amino acid residues were investigated. The total amount of peptides labeled with (17)O as measured by FTICR-MS enabled the interpretation of dephasing observed in (15)N{(17)O}REAPDOR solid-state NMR experiments. Specifically, about one-third of the Aß peptides were found to be involved in the formation of a specific >C═(17)O···H-(15)N hydrogen bond with their neighbor peptide molecules, and we hypothesize that the rest of the molecules undergo ± n off-registry shifts in their hydrogen bonding networks.

Adsorption of Butanol and Water Vapors in Silicalite-1 Films with a Low Defect Density.

Pure silica zeolites are potentially hydrophobic and have therefore been considered to be interesting candidates for separating alcohols, e.g., 1-butanol, from water. Zeolites are traditionally synthesized at high pH, leading to the formation of intracrystalline defects in the form of silanol defects in the framework. These silanol groups introduce polar adsorption sites into the framework, potentially reducing the adsorption selectivity toward alcohols in alcohol/water mixtures. In contrast, zeolites prepared at neutral pH using the fluoride route contain significantly fewer defects. Such crystals should show a much higher butanol/water selectivity than crystals prepared in traditional hydroxide (OH-) media. Moreover, silanol groups are present at the external surface of the zeolite crystals; therefore, minimizing the external surface of the studied adsorbent is important. In this work, we determine adsorption isotherms of 1-butanol and water in silicalite-1 films prepared in a fluoride (F-) medium using in situ attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. This film was composed of well intergrown, plate-shaped b-oriented crystals, resulting in a low external area. Single-component adsorption isotherms of 1-butanol and water were determined in the temperature range of 35-80 °C. The 1-butanol isotherms were typical for an adsorbate showing a high affinity for a microporous material and a large increase in the amount adsorbed at low partial pressures of 1-butanol. The Langmuir-Freundlich model was successfully fitted to the 1-butanol isotherms, and the heat of adsorption was determined. Water showed a very low affinity for the adsorbent, and the amounts adsorbed were very similar to previous reports for large silicalite-1 crystals prepared in a fluoride medium. The sample also adsorbed much less water than did a reference silicalite-1(OH-) film containing a high density of internal defects.The results show that silicalite-1 films prepared in a F- medium with a low density of defects and external area are very promising for the selective recovery of 1-butanol from aqueous solutions.