title: Sonochemistry and sonoluminescence of room-temperature ionic liquids.
abstract: The sonication of ionic organic liquids leads to decomposition of the liquids. Multibubble sonoluminescence spectra and headgas analysis reveal a variety of decomposition products from the sonolysis of N,N'-dialkylimidazolium ionic liquids. The decomposition is a result of acoustic cavitation, which generates localized hot spots from the implosive collapse of bubbles in the ionic liquids. Despite the negligible vapor pressure of the ionic liquids, reaction still occurs in a heated shell of the bubbles or from microdroplets thrown into the collapsing bubbles.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Oxley
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Prozorov
authors.forename: Kenneth S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Suslick