Ionic liquids, bmim

Lee and colleagues studied the ionic-liquid-mediated Beckmann rearrangement under microwaves (equation 96). They screened several ionic liquids and investigated the amount of sulfuric acid needed as catalyst. The microwave methodology was found to be superior to analogous conventional heating. All the ionic liquids tested worked well in the microwave and only 5 mol% sulfuric acid was needed. The BMIM ionic liquids ([BMIM]PFg, [BMIM]Bp4, [BMIMJSbFg and [BMIMJOTf) were found to be thermally stable. 

Figure 2.17 Quantitative synthesis of l-butyl-3-methylimidazolium [Bmim] ionic liquids via solvent free anion metathesis.

All the halide exchange reactions mentioned above proceed more or less quantitatively, causing greater or lesser quantities of halide impurities in the final product. The choice of the best procedure to obtain complete exchange depends mainly on the nature of the ionic liquid that is being produced. Unfortunately, there is no general method to obtain a halide-free ionic liquid that can be used for all types of ionic liquid. This is explained in a little more detail for two defined examples the synthesis of [BMIM][(CF3S02)2N] and the synthesis of [EMIM][BF4]. 

Erotic impurities have to be taken into account for two groups of ionic liquids those that have been produced by an exchange reaction involving a strong acid (often the case, for example, for [BMIM][PEg]), and those that are sensitive to hydrolysis. In the latter case, the protons may originate from the hydrolysis of the anion, forming an acid that may be dissolved in the ionic liquid. 

Without special drying procedures and completely inert handling, water is omnipresent in ionic liquids. Even the apparently hydrophobic ionic liquid [BMIM][(CF3S02)2N] saturates with about 1.4 mass% of water [15], a significant molar amount. For more hydrophilic ionic liquids, water uptake from air can be much greater. Imidazolium halide salts in particular are laiown to be extremely hygroscopic, one of the reasons why it is so difficult to make completely proton-free chloroaluminate ionic liquids. 

Preparation of ionic liquids for catalysis [BMIM][HS04], [HNR3][HS04] BP Ghemicals, UK Akzo Nobel NV, Netherlands Elemen-tis Specialities, UK 2000 30... 

Table 3.1-5 Melting points and heats of fusion for isomeric [BMIM][PFg] and [PMIM][PFs] ionic liquids, showing melting point and crystal stability increasing with the degree of branching in the alkyl substituent.

The viscosities of non-haloaluminate ionic liquids are also affected by the identity of the organic cation. For ionic liquids with the same anion, the trend is that larger allcyl substituents on the imidazolium cation give rise to more viscous fluids. For instance, the non-haloaluminate ionic liquids composed of substituted imidazolium cations and the bis-trifyl imide anion exhibit increasing viscosity from [EMIM], [EEIM], [EMM(5)IM], [BEIM], [BMIM], [PMMIM], to [EMMIM] (Table 3.2-1). Were the size of the cations the sole criteria, the [BEIM] and [BMIM] cations from this series would appear to be transposed and the [EMMIM] would be expected much earlier in the series. Given the limited data set, potential problems with impurities, and experimental differences between laboratories, we are unable to propose an explanation for the observed disparities. 

The reported densities of ionic liquids vary between 1.12 g cm for [(n-QHi7)(C4H9)3N][(CF3S02)2N] and 2.4 g cm for a 34-66 mol% [(CH3)3S]Br/AlBr3 ionic liquid [21, 23]. The densities of ionic liquid appear to be the physical property least sensitive to variations in temperature. For example, a 5 degree change in temperature from 298 to 303 K results in only a 0.3 % decrease in the density for a 50.0 50.0 mol % [EMIM]C1/A1C13 [17]. In addition, the impact of impurities appears to be far less dramatic than in the case of viscosity. Recent work indicates that the densities of ionic liquids vary linearly with wt. % of impurities. For example, 20 wt. % water (75 mol %) in [BMIM][BF4] results in only a 4 % decrease in density [33]. 

Finally, none of the ionic liquids were found to be hydrogen bond acids [5], although this may well be a consequence of the salts selected, none of which had a cation that would be expected to act as a hydrogen bond donor. Earlier qualitative measurements on ionic liquid stationary phases of mono-, di-, and trialkylammo-nium salts suggest that hydrogen bond donation can be important where a potentially acidic proton is available [7-9]. More recent work, with [BMIM] salts, also indicates that these ionic liquids should be considered to be hydrogen bond donor solvents [10]. However, this has yet to be quantified. 

It must be noted that impurities in the ionic liquids can have a profound impact on the potential limits and the corresponding electrochemical window. During the synthesis of many of the non-haloaluminate ionic liquids, residual halide and water may remain in the final product [13]. Halide ions (Cl , Br , I ) are more easily oxidized than the fluorine-containing anions used in most non-haloaluminate ionic liquids. Consequently, the observed anodic potential limit can be appreciably reduced if significant concentrations of halide ions are present. Contamination of an ionic liquid with significant amounts of water can affect both the anodic and the cathodic potential limits, as water can be both reduced and oxidized in the potential limits of many ionic liquids. Recent work by Schroder et al. demonstrated considerable reduction in both the anodic and cathodic limits of several ionic liquids upon the addition of 3 % water (by weight) [14]. For example, the electrochemical window of dry [BMIM][BF4] was found to be 4.10 V, while that for the ionic liquid with 3 % water by weight was reduced to 1.95 V. In addition to its electrochemistry, water can react with the ionic liquid components (especially anions) to produce products... 

Figure 4.2-1 shows the calculated ab initio molecular structure of the ionic liquid [BMIM][PFg] (l-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate). 

In the case of systems containing ionic liquids, components and chemical species have to be differentiated. The methanol/[BMIM][PF6] system, for example, consists of two components (methanol and [BMIM][PFg]) but - on the assumption that [BMIM][PFg] is completely dissociated - three chemical species (methanol, [BMIM] and [PFg] ). If [BMIM][PFg] is not completely dissociated, one has a fourth species, the undissociated [BMIM][PFg]. From this it follows that the diffusive transport can be described with three and four flux equations, respectively. The fluxes of [BMIM] ... 

The measurement of correlation times in molten salts and ionic liquids has recently been reviewed [11] (for more recent references refer to Carper et al. [12]). We have measured the spin-lattice relaxation rates l/Tj and nuclear Overhauser factors p in temperature ranges in and outside the extreme narrowing region for the neat ionic liquid [BMIM][PFg], in order to observe the temperature dependence of the spectral density. Subsequently, the models for the description of the reorientation-al dynamics introduced in the theoretical section (Section 4.5.3) were fitted to the experimental relaxation data. The nuclei of the aliphatic chains can be assumed to relax only through the dipolar mechanism. This is in contrast to the aromatic nuclei, which can also relax to some extent through the chemical-shift anisotropy mechanism. The latter mechanism has to be taken into account to fit the models to the experimental relaxation data (cf [1] or [3] for more details). Preliminary results are shown in Figures 4.5-1 and 4.5-2, together with the curves for the fitted functions. 

The highly detailed results obtained for the neat ionic liquid [BMIM][PFg] clearly demonstrate the potential of this method for determination of molecular reorienta-tional dynamics in ionic liquids. Further studies should combine the results for the reorientational dynamics with viscosity data in order to compare experimental correlation times with correlation times calculated from hydrodynamic models (cf [14]). It should thus be possible to draw conclusions about the intermolecular structure and interactions in ionic liquids and about the molecular basis of specific properties of ionic liquids. 

A study of the Diels-Alder reaction was carried out by Earle et al. [42]. The rates and selectivities of reactions between ethyl acrylate (EA) and cyclopentadiene (CP) in water, 5 m lithium perchlorate in diethyl ether (5 m EPDE), and [BMIM][PE(3] were compared. The reactions in the ionic liquid [BMIM][PE(3] were marginally faster than in water, but both were slower than in 5 m EPDE [42, 43] (see Table 5.1-1 and Scheme 5.1-18). It should be noted that these three reactions give up to 98 % yields if left for 24 hours. The endo. exo selectivity in [BMIM][PE(3] was similar to that in 5 M EPDE, and considerably greater than that in water (Table 5.1-1). 

In the reaction between isoprene (IP) and methyl vinyl ketone (MVK), the selectivities between the two isomers produced in this reaction can be improved from 4 1 to 20 1 by the addition of a mild Eewis acid such as 2inc(II) iodide (5 mol %) to the ionic liquid [BMIM][PE(3] (Scheme 5.1-18). One of the key benefits of this is that the... 

A quantitative study of the nucleophilic displacement reaction of benzoyl chloride with cyanide ion in [BMIM][PFg] was investigated by Eckert and co-workers [52]. The separation of the product, 1-phenylacetonitrile, from the ionic liquid was achieved by distillation or by extraction with supercritical CO2. The 1-phenylacetonitrile was then treated with KOH in [BMIM][PF6] to generate an anion, which reacted with 1,4-dibromobutane to give 1-cyano-l-phenylcyclopentane (Scheme 5.1-23). This was in turn extracted from the ionic liquid with supercritical CO2. These... 

As a demonstration of the complete synthesis of a pharmaceutical in an ionic liquid, Pravadoline was selected, as the synthesis combines a Friedel-Crafts reaction and a nucleophilic displacement reaction (Scheme 5.1-24) [53]. The allcylation of 2-methylindole with l-(N-morpholino)-2-chloroethane occurs readily in [BMIM][PF6] and [BMMIM][PF6] (BMMIM = l-butyl-2,3-dimethylimida2olium), in 95-99 % yields, with potassium hydroxide as the base. The Friedel-Crafts acylation step in [BMIM][PF6] at 150 °C occurs in 95 % yield and requires no catalyst. 

Reactions between aldehydes and alkynes to give propargyl alcohols are also described in Kitazume and Kasai s paper [55]. Here, various aldehydes such as benzaldehyde or 4-fluorobenzaldehyde were treated with alkynes such as phenylethyne or pent-l-yne in three ionic liquids [EDBU][OTf], [BMIM][PFg], and [BMIM][BF4] (Scheme 5.1-27). A base (DBU) and Zn(OTf)2 were required for the reaction to be effective the yields were in the 50-70 % range. The best ionic liquid for this reaction depended on the individual reaction. 

McCluskey et al. have also used [BMIM][BF4] as a solvent for the allylation of aldehydes and Weinreb amides [56]. Similar diastereoselectivities and similar or slightly lower yields were obtained in this ionic liquid, compared with reactions carried... 

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