Confined Ru‐catalysts in a Two‐phase Heptane/Ionic Liquid Solution: Modeling Aspects

Influence of Ionic Liquid Film Thickness and Flow Rate on Macrocyclization Efficiency and Selectivity in Supported Ionic Liquid-Liquid Phase Catalysis

Supported ionic-liquid phase (SILP) technology in a biphasic setting with n-heptane as the transport phase was applied to the Ru-alkylidene-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed macrocyclization of α,ω-dienes to elucidate the effect of ionic liquid (IL)-film thickness, flow rate as well as substrate and product concentration on macrocyclization efficiency, and Z-selectivity. To understand the molecular-level behavior of the substrates and products at the n-heptane/IL interphase, atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were conducted and correlated with experimental observations. The thickness of the IL layer strongly influences the Z/E ratio of the products in that a thin IL layer favors higher Z/E ratios by confining the catalyst between the pore wall and the liquid-liquid interphase whereas a thick IL layer favors formation of the E-product and Ru-hydride catalyzed isomerization reactions. Also, macrocyclization efficiency, expressed by the ratio of oligomers/macromonocycle (O/MMC), is influenced both by the flow rate and the thickness of the IL layer.

Probing the distribution of ionic liquid mixtures at charged and neutral interfaces via simulations and lattice-gas theory

Room temperature ionic liquid solutions confined between neutral and charged surfaces are investigated by means of atomistic Molecular Dynamics simulations. We study 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([EMIm]⁺[DCA]^-) in water or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) mixtures in confinement between two interfaces. The analysis is based on the comparison of the molecular species involved and the charged state of the surfaces. Focus is given on the influence of different water/DMSO concentrations on the microstructuring and accumulation of each species. Thermodynamic aspects, such as the entropic contributions in the observed trends are obtained from the simulations using a lattice-gas theory. The results clearly underline the differences in these properties for the water and DMSO mixtures and unravel the underlying mechanisms and inherent details. We were able to pinpoint the importance of the size and the relative permittivity of the molecules in guiding their microstructuring in the vicinity of the surfaces, as well as their interactions with the latter, i.e. the solute-surface interactions. The influence of water and DMSO on the overscreening at charged interfaces is also discussed. The analysis on the molecular accumulation at the interfaces allows us to predict whether the accumulation is entropy or enthalpy driven, which has an impact in the removal of the molecular species from the surfaces. We discuss the impact of this work in providing an essential understanding towards a careful design of electrochemical elements.