Francesca D’Anna

Determination of basic strength of aliphatic amines through ion pair formation in some ionic liquid solutions.

To have an evaluation of the basic strength of aliphatic amines in ionic liquid solution, the stability constants relevant to the formation of amine/p-nitrophenol ion pairs were determined in different ionic liquids at 298 K. In particular, aliphatic (pyrrolidinium) and aromatic (imidazolium) ionic liquids were used. Imidazolium ions, bmim(+) and bm(2)im(+), having different hydrogen bond donor abilities were taken into account. Anions were chosen ([BF(4)(-)], [PF(6)(-)], and [NTf(2)(-)]; where NTf(2) = bis(trifluoromethansulfonyl)imide) showing different shape, size, and coordination ability. Several primary, secondary (cyclic or not), and tertiary amines were used to study the effect of amine structure on the ion pair stability. The comparison between data collected in this work and those previously obtained in ordinary molecular solvents evidence that ionic liquids are solvent media able to exalt the amine basicity. Furthermore, the experimental trends obtained in different ionic liquids can only be rationalized considering the whole of parameters affecting their tridimensional structure.

P-Nitrophenolate : A Probe for Determining Acid Strength in Ionic Liquids

In order to obtain an acidity scale in room-temperature ionic liquid solutions, the protonation equilibrium of sodium p-nitrophenolate in [bm(2)im][NTf(2)] and in [bmpyrr][NTf(2)], at 298 K, has been studied by means of spectrophotometric titration. Carboxylic acids differing in both structure and in water solution strength have been used. Data collected indicate that in the analyzed ionic liquid solutions carboxylic acids are less dissociated than in water solution. Furthermore, by virtue of a mutual interaction, the studied equilibrium seems to be affected by both the nature of the ionic liquids and the carboxylic acids.

Synthesis of aryl azides: A probe reaction to study the synergetic action of ultrasounds and ionic liquids

The combined effect of ultrasounds and ionic liquids was used to perform the synthesis of aryl azides by nucleophilic aromatic substitution in ionic liquid/[1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium][N3] binary mixtures. The ultrasounds efficiency was analyzed as a function of the substrate and of the ionic liquid structure. In the first case, both 6π and 10π electrons aryl halides were considered. As far as the ionic liquid structure is concerned, both aromatic and aliphatic ionic liquids were taken into account. Among aromatic cations, the effects due to different ability in giving hydrogen bond or π-π interactions were considered. The use of a geminal ionic liquid having an aromatic spacer was examined too. On the whole, collected data evidence an activating effect on the target reaction by the combined use of ultrasounds and ionic liquids. The structural order degree of the ionic liquid seems to be the main factor affecting the ultrasounds efficiency. Furthermore, the effects due to changes in the anion structure seem to be more significant than those due to changes in the cation structure.

Acid- and Base-Catalysis in the Mononuclear Rearrangement of Some (Z)-arylhydrazones of 5-Amino-3-benzoyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole in Toluene: Effect of Substituents on the Course of Reaction

The reaction rates for the rearrangement of eleven (Z)-arylhydrazones of 5-amino-3-benzoyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole 3a-k into the relevant (2-aryl-5-phenyl-2H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)ureas 4a-k in the presence of trichloroacetic acid or of piperidine have been determined in toluene at 313.1 K. The results have been related to the effect of the aryl substituent by using Hammett and/or Ingold-Yukawa-Tsuno correlations and have been compared with those previously collected in a protic polar solvent (dioxane/water) as well as with those on the analogous rearrangement of the corresponding (Z)-arylhydrazones of 3-benzoyl-5-phenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole 1a-k in benzene. Some light can thus be shed on the general differences of chemical reactivity between protic polar (or dipolar aprotic) and apolar solvents.

The ultrasounds-ionic liquids synergy on the copper catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition between phenylacetylene and 4-azidoquinoline.

The effect of ultrasound irradiation on the copper catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition between phenylacetylene and 4-azidoquinoline has been studied in solution of different ionic liquids. In particular, we used ionic liquids featuring both aliphatic and aromatic mono- and dications, as well as anions differing in size, symmetry and coordination ability. We also examined the influence of the ionic liquids structural features on the reaction outcomes, finding that under magnetic stirring reactivity is favorably affected by the solvent structural organization, while under sonochemical conditions an opposite trend was observed. In all cases examined, sonochemical activation leads to significant reduction in energy consumption as compared to the reaction conducted under magnetic stirring.

Synthesis and characterization of new polyamino-cyclodextrin materials

With the aim of the synthesis of chemically modified cyclodextrins bearing polyamine pendant groups, potentially useful as capping agents for the preparation of nanosized metal systems or as auxiliaries for gene transfection, the reaction between the heptakis-(6-iodo)-(6-deoxy)-β-cyclodextrin and various polyamines has been explored. This synthetic approach allows obtaining materials constituted by mixtures of cyclodextrins, having different degrees of substitution, which were satisfactorily characterized by means of various complementary techniques (ESI-MS, NMR, potentiometric titration). The products obtained were successfully subjected to preliminary tests for their binding abilities towards suitable organic guests and as capping agents for the preparation of stable silver nanoparticles.

Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanodots-Ionogels: Preparation, Characterization, and Radical Scavenging Activity

Hybrid diimidazolium-based ionogels were obtained by dispersing nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (NCNDs) in ionic liquid (IL) solutions and by using dicationic organic salts as gelators. The properties of the NCND-ionogels were studied in terms of thermal stability, mechanical strength, morphology, rheological, and microscopic analyses. Insights into the formation of the hybrid soft material were attained from kinetics of sol-gel phase transition and from estimating the size of the aggregates, obtained from opacity and resonance light-scattering measurements. We demonstrate that, on one hand, NCNDs were able to favor the gel formation both in the presence of gelating and nongelating ILs. On the other hand, the gelatinous matrix retains and, in some cases, improves the properties of NCNDs. The NCND-ionogels showed the typical fluorescence emission of the carbon dots and a notable antiradical activity, with higher efficiency as compared to the single components. The presented hybrid materials hold great promise for topical applications in antioxidant fields.

Apolar versus Polar Solvents: A Comparison of the Strength of Some Organic Acids against Different Bases in Toluene and in Water

The constants of ion-pair formation with 3-nitroaniline (3NO(2)A) for eight halogenoacetic acids (HAAs, 3a-h: TFA, TCA, TBA, DFA, DCA, DBA, MCA, and MBA), and five 2,2-dichloroalkanoic acids containing 3-8 carbon atoms (HAs, 5a-e: DCPA, DCBA, DCMBA, DCVA, and DCOA) have been determined in TOL at 298.1 K. The results obtained brought to evidence for HAAs the formation of ion-pairs with two different stoichiometries (base-acid, 1:1 or 1:2), while in contrast the HAs furnish only the 1:1 pairs. The different steric and electronic requirements of HAAs and HAs seem to be responsible for such an unlikely behavior. At the same time, the acid-catalyzed MRH of the (Z)-phenylhydrazone of 5-amino-3-benzoyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole (1) into (2,5-diphenyl-2H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)urea (2) in the presence of the five HAs above has been investigated in TOL at 313.1 K. Thus, in contrast with previous results in the presence of several HAAs, a unique pathway for the rearrangement has been observed, again pointing out the importance of the above effects on the initial acid/base interactions. Finally the acidic strength of TFA against seven nitroanilines (NA, 4a-g: 4NO(2)A, 3NO(2)A, 3Me4NO(2)A, 4Me3NO(2)A, 2Me3NO(2)A, 2NO(2)A, and 3,5diNO(2)A) characterized by a very different basicity has been measured in TOL at 298.1 K.