Karina Shimizu

Molecular Force Field for Ionic Liquids IV: Trialkylimidazolium and Alkoxycarbonyl-Imidazolium Cations; Alkylsulfonate and Alkylsulfate Anions

This is the fourth article of a series that describes the parametrization of a force field for the molecular simulation of common ionic liquids within the framework of statistical mechanics. The force field was developed in the spirit of the OPLS-AA model and is thus oriented toward the calculation of equilibrium thermodynamic and structural properties in the condensed (liquid) phase. The ions modeled in the present paper are cations of the 1,2,3-trialkylimidazolium and alkoxycarbonyl imidazolium families and alkylsulfate and alkylsulfonate anions. As in previous publications, the force field is built in a stepwise manner that allows, for example, the construction of models for an entire family of cations or anions, with alkyl side chains of different length. Because of the transferability of the present force field, the ions studied here can be combined with those reported in our three previous publications to create a large variety of ionic liquids that can be studied by molecular simulation. The extension of the force field was validated by comparison of simulation results with the corresponding crystal structure and liquid density experimental data.

High-Accuracy Vapor Pressure Data of the Extended [CnC1im][Ntf2] Ionic Liquid Series: Trend Changes and Structural Shifts

For the first time, two distinct trends are clearly evidenced for the enthalpies and entropies of vaporization along the [Cnmim][Ntf2] ILs series. The trend shifts observed for Δ(l)(g)H(m)(o) and Δ(l)(g)S(m)(o), which occur at [C6mim][Ntf2], are related to structural modifications. The thermodynamic results reported in the present article constitute the first quantitative experimental evidence of the structural percolation phenomenon and make a significant contribution to better understanding of the relationship among cohesive energies, volatilities, and liquid structures of ionic liquids. A new Knudsen effusion apparatus, combined with a quartz crystal microbalance, was used for the high-accuracy volatility study of the 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide series ([Cnmim][Ntf2], where n = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12). Vapor pressures in the (450–500) K temperature range were measured, and the molar standard enthalpies, entropies, and Gibbs energies of vaporization were derived. The thermodynamic parameters of vaporization were reported, along with molecular dynamic simulations of the liquid phase structure, allowing the establishment of a link between the thermodynamic properties and the percolation phenomenon in ILs.

Structure and Aggregation in the 1-Alkyl-3-Methylimidazolium Bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide Ionic Liquid Homologous Series

A new comprehensive Molecular Dynamics study using large simulation boxes has been performed in order to complete and extend the structural analysis on the mesoscopic segregation observed in the ionic liquids of the 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide homologous series, [CnC1im][Ntf2] (2 ≤ n ≤ 10). The analysis includes the discussion along the whole family of the corresponding structure factors, S(q), in the low-q range (1.6 ≤ q/nm(-1) ≤ 20); the confirmation of the periodicity of the polar network of the ionic liquid and its intermediate low-q peak equivalence; and the introduction of five statistical functions that probe the existence and characterize the polar network and the nonpolar aggregates that are formed along the [CnC1im][Ntf2] series. The later functions comprise aggregate size distributions, average number of contact neighbors within an aggregate, neighbor distributions, distributions of aggregate maximum length, and distributions of aggregate volume.

Three commentaries on the nano-segregated structure of ionic liquids

Abstract The concept that ionic liquids are nano-segregated fluids has allowed the rationalization at a molecular level of many of their complex and unusual properties, either as pure substances or as solvents. In this work we will use molecular dynamics simulation results to discuss in a semi-quantitative manner different aspects of such segregation: how it varies within a homologous ionic liquid family; the influence of the nature of the ions in the morphology of the segregated domains; and the interactions of those domains with molecular solutes or solvents.

A Tale of Two Ions: The Conformational Landscapes of Bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide and N,N-Dialkylpyrrolidinium

The conformational landscapes of two commonly used ionic liquid ions, the anion bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide (Ntf2) and the cations N-propyl- and N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium, were investigated using data obtained from Raman spectroscopy, molecular dynamics, and ab initio techniques. In the case of Ntf2, the plotting of three-dimensional potential energy surfaces (PES) and the corresponding molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirmed the existence of two stable isomers (each existing as a pair of enantiomers) and evidenced the nature of the anion as a flexible, albeit hindered, molecule capable of interconversion between conformers in the liquid state, a result confirmed by the Raman data. In the case of the N,N-dialkylpyrrolidinium cations, the PES show a much more limited conformational behavior of the pyrrolidinium ring (pseudorotation). Nevertheless, such pseudorotation produces two stable isomers with the propyl and butyl side chains in completely different positions (axial-envelope and equatorial-envelope conformations). This result was also confirmed by Raman spectra analyses and MD simulations in the liquid phase. The implications of the conformational behavior of the two types of ions are discussed in terms of the solvation properties of the corresponding ionic liquids.

Molecular Force Field for Ionic Liquids V: Hydroxyethylimidazolium, Dimethoxy-2- Methylimidazolium, and Fluoroalkylimidazolium Cations and Bis(Fluorosulfonyl)Amide, Perfluoroalkanesulfonylamide, and Fluoroalkylfluorophosphate Anions

In this article, the fifth of a series that describes the parametrization of a force field for the molecular simulation of ionic liquids within the framework of statistical mechanics, we have modeled cations belonging to the hydroxyethylimidazolium, dimethoxy-2-methylimidazolium, and fluoroalkylimidazolium families and anions of the bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide, perfluoroalkanesulfonylamide, and fluoroalkylfluorophosphate families. The development of the force field, created in the spirit of the OPLS-AA model in a stepwise manner and oriented toward the calculation of equilibrium thermodynamic and structural properties in the liquid and crystalline phases, is discussed in detail. Because of the transferability of the present force field, the ions studied here can be combined with those reported in our four previous publications to create a large variety of ionic liquids that can be studied by molecular simulation. The present extension of the force field was validated by comparison of simulation results with experimental crystal structure and liquid density data.

Assessing the Dispersive and Electrostatic Components of the Cohesive Energy of Ionic Liquids Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Molar Refraction Data

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to calculate the density and the cohesive molar internal energy of seventeen different ionic liquids in the liquid phase. The results were correlated with previously reported experimental density and molar refraction data. The link between the dispersive component of the total cohesive energy of the fluid and the corresponding molar refraction was established in an unequivocal way. The results have shown that the two components of the total cohesive energy (dispersive and electrostatic) exhibit strikingly different trends and ratios along different families of ionic liquids, a notion that may help explain their diverse behavior toward different molecular solutes and solvents.

Mutual Solubility of Water and Structural/Positional Isomers of N-Alkylpyridinium-Based Ionic Liquids

Despite many previous important contributions to the characterization of the liquid-liquid phase behavior of ionic liquids (ILs) plus water systems, a gap still exists as far as the effect of isomers (of ILs) is concerned. Therefore, in this work, a comprehensive study of the liquid-liquid equilibria between water and isomeric pyridinium-based ionic liquids has been performed. Atmospheric pressure mutual solubilities between water and pyridinium-based ionic liquids combined with the common anion bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide were experimentally determined between (288.15 and 318.15) K. The main goal of this work is to study the isomeric effects on the pyridinium-based cation, namely, the structural and positional isomerism, as well as the alkyl side chain length. To the best of our knowledge, the influence of both structural and positional isomerism on the liquid-liquid behavior in ionic-liquid-water-containing systems is an unexplored field and is here assessed for the first time. Moreover, from the experimental solubility data, several infinite dilution molar thermodynamic functions of solution, namely, the Gibbs energy, the enthalpy, and the entropy, were estimated and discussed. In addition, aiming at gathering a broader picture of the underlying thermodynamic solvation phenomenon, molecular dynamics simulations were also carried out for the same experimental systems.

On the Role of the Dipole and Quadrupole Moments of Aromatic Compounds in the Solvation by Ionic Liquids

The diverse dipole and quadrupole moments of benzene and its 12 fluorinated derivatives are correlated to their solubility in the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide. Albeit empirical, the correlation was built taken into account molecular insights gained from ab initio calculations of the isolated aromatic solute molecules and molecular dynamics simulations of all 13 aromatic solute plus ionic liquid solvent binary mixtures. This type of molecular-assisted approach unveiled a simple correlation between the dipole and quadrupole moments of the solutes and the ionic liquid solvent. It also revealed the complex nature of the interactions between aromatic compounds and ionic liquids, with the charge density functions of the former acting as a sort of molecular template that promotes the segregation of the ions of the latter and defines the fluid phase behavior (liquid-liquid demixing) of the corresponding binary mixtures. Such an approach can be extended to other systems involving the interactions of different types of solutes with ionic liquid solvents.

Density, Thermal Expansion and Viscosity of Cholinium‐Derived Ionic Liquids

Density and viscosity data of the N-alkyl-N,N-dimethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ionic liquids homologous series [N(1 1 n 2(OH))][Ntf(2)] with n=1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 have been measured at atmospheric pressure in the 283<T/K<373 temperature range and the corresponding isobaric thermal expansion coefficients have been calculated. This work studies the effect of increasing the alkyl chain length of the cholinium-based cation on the density, viscosity and related properties of this family of ionic liquids. A volumetric predictive method based on the effective molar volume of cations and anions is used to estimate the effective molar volume of the different cations present in this study. The results agree with data for other cation families that show a molar volume increment per CH(2) group on the alkyl chain of the cation of about 17.2 cm(3) mol(-1), except for [N(1 1 1 2(OH))](+), which exhibits an outlier behaviour. Molecular dynamics simulation results are used to explain the volumetric behaviour along the homologous series from a molecular perspective. The predictive power of group contribution methods for density and viscosity is also tested.