Md. Mominul Islam

Stability of Superoxide Ion in Imidazolium Cation-Based Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids

The stability of superoxide ion (O(2)(*-)) generated chemically by dissolving KO(2) in dried dimethyl sulfoxide solutions containing imidazolium cation [e.g., 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (EMI(+)) and 1-n-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium (BMMI(+))] based ionic liquids (ILs) was investigated with UV-visible spectroscopic, NMR, and voltammetric techniques and an ab initio molecular orbital calculation. UV-visible spectroscopic and cyclic voltammetric measurements reveal that the O(2)(*-) species reacts with BMMI(+) and EMI(+) cations of ILs to form hydrogen peroxide. The pseudo first order rate constant for the reaction of BMMI(+) and O(2)(*-) species was found to be about 2.5 x 10(-3) s(-1). With a molecular orbital calculation, the O(2)(*-) species is understood to attack the 2-position (C-2) of the imidazolium ring (i.e., BMMI(+)) to form an ion pair complex in which one oxygen atom is bounded to C-2 and the other to the hydrogen atom of -CH(3) group attached to C-2. Eventually, the ion pair complex of BMMI(+) cation and O(2)(*-) species undergoes a ring opening reaction as evidenced with (1)H NMR measurement.

Water electrolysis : an excellent approach for the removal of water from ionic liquids

An electrochemical system based on platinum cathode and glassy carbon anode was assembled for a successful removal of water from ionic liquids via the water electrolysis strategy.

Electrochemical, HPLC and electrospray ionization mass spectroscopic analyses of peroxycitric acid coexisting with citric acid and hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solution

We successfully determined the molecular structure of peroxycitric acid (PCA) coexisting in the aqueous equilibrium mixture with citric acid (CA; 1,2,3-tricarboxylic-2-hydroxy propane) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) by a combined use of reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC), potentiometric, hydrodynamic chronocoulometric (HCC) and electrospray ionization mass spectroscopic (ESI-MS) methods. Firstly, the RP-HPLC was employed to separate CA, PCA and H(2)O(2) coexisting in the equilibrium mixture and the concentration of CA consumed (DeltaC(CA)) in the formation of PCA that was evidenced to be fairly stable during the RP-HPLC measurement was quantitatively measured based on the standard calibration curve of CA. Secondly, the total oxidant concentration (C(Ox)) corresponding to peroxycarboxylic (-COOOH) group in PCA in the equilibrium mixture was determined using potentiometric measurement. The ratio of C(Ox)/DeltaC(CA) was found to be 1.07, which indicates that only one -COOH group in CA molecule is oxidized to the corresponding -COOOH group in PCA molecule. Thirdly, using the HCC technique the diffusion coefficient of PCA, which could be electroreduced at a more positive potential by 1.0 V than the coexisting H(2)O(2), was independently measured as 0.3 x 10(-5)cm(2)s(-1) and at the same time, by considering DeltaC(CA) as the concentration of PCA, the number of electrons (n) required for the reduction of PCA was determined to be 2. The result obtained from RP-HPLC and HCC, i.e., n=2 which is equivalent to one -COOOH group in PCA, is in agreement with that obtained from the combination of RP-HPLC and potentiometric measurements. Finally, the structure of PCA was proposed to contain one -COOOH group with a molecular mass of 208 confirmed by negative ion ESI-MS method. A probable molecular structure of PCA was discussed.

Electrodeposition of cobalt with tunable morphology from reverse micellar solution

Electrodeposition of cobalt on a copper electrode was successfully performed from aqueous and reverse micellar solutions of a cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), using constant potential electrolysis method. The potential to be applied for electrodeposition was judged from the cyclic voltammetric behavior of cobalt(II) in aqueous and reverse micellar solutions of CTAB at different compositions. The morphology, dimension, and crystallinity of cobalt deposited onto a copper substrate were evaluated from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and X-ray diffraction technique. The cobalt deposited on copper from aqueous solution does not show any definite shape and size, while the deposition from reverse micellar solutions occurred with definite shapes such as star-, flower-, and nanorod-like structures depending on the composition. The slow kinetics governed by the reverse micelles associated with the deposition brings about oriented growth of cobalt onto the copper substrate and offers the potential to electrochemically tune cobalt deposit with desirable morphology.

Transition from amorphous to crystalline state for nickel electrodeposited from an ionic liquid

The microstructure of metallic nickel electrodeposited from an ionic liquid onto a copper substrate may be tuned and transition from amorphous to crystalline state can be achieved by regulating water content in the bath.