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Residual water in ionic liquids: clustered or dissociated?
Joshua E S J Reid1, Adam J Walker, Seishi Shimizu
1York Structural Biology Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK. seishi.shimizu@york.ac.uk.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|May 15, 2015
Summary
Residual water in ionic liquids (ILs) interacts differently based on concentration and IL type. At low concentrations, water separates and binds to ions, but it can form clusters in hydrophobic ILs.
Area of Science:
- Physical Chemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Residual water significantly impacts ionic liquid (IL) properties and reactivity.
- Conflicting hypotheses exist regarding water molecule behavior and interactions within ILs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the structure and behavior of residual water molecules in ionic liquids.
- To resolve conflicting theories on water-ion and water-water interactions in ILs.
Main Methods:
- Application of statistical thermodynamic theory, specifically Kirkwood-Buff theory.
- Analysis of density and osmotic data from existing literature.
Main Results:
- Water structure in ILs is dependent on water content.
- At low concentrations, water-IL interactions dominate, leading to water separation.
- In hydrophobic ILs, water self-associates at moderate concentrations.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a unified framework for understanding water behavior in ILs.
- Findings reconcile previous conflicting hypotheses based on water concentration and IL hydrophobicity.
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