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.
Islam
Md Mominul
MM
Department of Electronic Chemistry, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Mail Box G1-5, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan.
Imase
Tatsuya
T
Okajima
Takeyoshi
T
Takahashi
Mitsuo
M
Niikura
Yoshihiro
Y
Kawashima
Norimichi
N
Nakamura
Yoshiyuki
Y
Ohsaka
Takeo
T