Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy
Published on: May 27, 2018
Effect of water on the molecular structure and arrangement of nitrile-functionalized ionic liquids
Satyen Saha1, Hiro-o Hamaguchi
1Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
Abstract:
Water changes the physical properties of ionic liquids (ILs). In this paper, the effect of water on ILs is investigated at the molecular level. The molecular structure and arrangement of 1-butyronitrile-3-methylimidazolium halide, in the presence and absence of the intruded water molecule, have been elucidated by single-crystal X-ray crystallography and near-infrared Raman spectroscopy. Water molecule is found to change the conformation of the n-butyronitrile chain of the cation. The hydrogen bonding interaction between the anion and water molecule, leading to loose molecular packing, is most likely to be responsible for the change. Distinct molecular structures and arrangements of ILs with and without water molecule have been presented here for the first time. As the unique properties of ILs are related to their structures and molecular arrangements, the presence of water, wanted or unwanted, must be carefully examined in any kind of IL research and applications.
Related Concept Videos
01:08Nitriles to Carboxylic Acids: Hydrolysis
01:28Structures of Carboxylic Acid Derivatives
Carboxylic acid derivatives contain an acyl group attached to a heteroatom such as chlorine, oxygen, or nitrogen. The carbonyl carbon and oxygen are both sp2-hybridized with an unhybridized p orbital.
The three sp2 orbitals of the carbonyl carbon form three σ bonds, one each with the carbonyl oxygen, the α carbon, and the heteroatom, whereas the other two sp2 orbitals of the carbonyl oxygen are occupied by the lone pairs. Further, the unhybridized p...
02:11Leveling Effect and Non-Aqueous Acid-Base Solutions
The Leveling Effect of a Solvent
A generic acid (HA) reacts with the generic base (B-) to yield the corresponding conjugate base (A-) and conjugate acid (HB):
01:19Preparation of Carboxylic Acids: Hydrolysis of Nitriles
02:34Regioselectivity and Stereochemistry of Acid-Catalyzed Hydration
01:20Aldehydes and Ketones with Water: Hydrate Formation
The formation of hydrates is a reversible reaction. Hydrate formation is influenced by steric and electronic factors accompanying the alkyl substituents on the carbonyl group: The rate of hydrate formation increases with a decrease in the number of alkyl groups attached to the carbonyl carbon. Hence,...