How Different Electrolytes Can Influence the Aqueous Solution Behavior of 1-Ethyl-3-Methylimidazolium Chloride: A Volumetric, Viscometric, and Infrared Spectroscopy Approach

Study on the Effectiveness of Simultaneous Recovery and Concentration of 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Chloride Ionic Liquid by Electrodialysis with Heterogeneous Ion-Exchange Membranes

Due to the extensive range of ionic liquids (ILs) used in industry, an efficient recovery method is needed. In this study, the effectiveness of a simultaneous concentration and recovery method was investigated for 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Emim]Cl), an IL that was recovered using electrodialysis (ED). The optimal operational parameters for electrodialytic recovery were determined empirically. The variables that were investigated included the concentration of IL, applied voltage, linear flow velocity and the diluate-to-concentrate volume ratio. The recovery of [Emim]Cl, the concentration degree, the [Emim]Cl flux across membranes, the current efficiency, as well as the energy consumption were determined. The results of the experiments confirmed that [Emim]Cl concentration and recovery can be achieved using ED. The highest ED efficiency was obtained when a 2 V electric potential per one membrane pair was applied, using a 2 cm/s linear flow velocity, and by adjusting to 0.2 M IL in the feed solution. By using ED, a 2.35-fold concentration of [Emim]Cl with a recovery of 90.4% could be achieved when the diluate-to-concentrate volume ratio was 2. On the other hand, a 3.35-fold concentration of [Emim]Cl with a recovery of 81.7% could be obtained when the diluate-to-concentrate volume ratio was increased to 5.

Can Jones-Dole's B-Coefficient be a Consistent Structure-Making/Breaking Marker? Rigorous Molecular-Based Analysis and Critical Assessment of Its Marker Uniqueness

We analyzed the consistency, or lack thereof, of the conjectured connection between the sign of Jones-Dole's B-coefficient, or its isobaric-temperature derivative, and the structure-making/breaking ability of a solute in a dilute solution. We sought to shed light on some crucial issues, including (i) whether Jones-Dole's B-coefficient contains any embedded microstructural information, (ii) whether we can either assign any definite foundation to the widely used assumption about the sign of the B-coefficient and its structure-making/breaking trend or provide a rational justification for its use as a structure-making/breaking marker, and (iii) whether we actually need Jones-Dole's B-coefficient and its isobaric-temperature derivative as markers for the interpretation of structure-making/breaking trends. Thus, we first addressed the fundamental (statistical mechanical) microscopic to (thermodynamic) macroscopic foundations of a rigorous approach to the structure-making/breaking ability of a solute, regardless of the type of solvent or nature of the solute-solvent intermolecular interaction asymmetries, and its exact relationships to the resulting solution thermodynamics. Then, we derived the required conditions for the signs of the B-coefficient and/or its isobaric-temperature derivative to describe either a structure-making or a structure-breaking event, according to the actual solute-induced perturbation of the solvent microstructure, and consequently, tested the rationale underlying the B-based conjectured structure-making/breaking markers. Moreover, we invoked a well-known transition-state (TS) interpretation of the B-coefficient to connect it explicitly to the derived molecular-based structure-making/breaking signature and to find under which TS conditions the signs of the B-coefficient and its temperature derivative could describe the actual solute-induced perturbation of the solvent microstructure. We illustrated the actual structure-making/breaking behavior for a series of aqueous solutes over a wide range of solute-solvent intermolecular interaction asymmetries and compared their behavior against that predicted by Jones-Dole's based markers. This comparison, supported by rigorous thermodynamic arguments, highlighted the lack of uniqueness (or one-to-one correspondence) in the response of the B-based markers to the solute-solvent intermolecular interaction asymmetry, and therefore, their inadequacy as structure-making/breaking descriptors. Finally, we discuss the findings and provide a cautionary outlook on the use of the viscosity-based structural markers.