Liquid Dynamics Determine Transition Metal-N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complex Formation.

The mechanism of metal-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex formation from imidazolium salts in the presence of weak bases was investigated through theoretical methods. Quantum chemical calculations revealed that the two bases considered here, sodium acetate and trimethylamine, both facilitate complex formation. In contrast to previous experiments, these calculations indicated a slightly lower barrier with the amine. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the ionic nature of the [AuCl2 ]- and imidazolium ions, as well as the sodium acetate base keep these species associated in the reaction mixture through ion pairing. This pre-association of the components produces those clusters that are essential for the metal complex formation reaction. The neutral amine, however, remains mostly separated from the other reaction partners, making it a significantly less effective base. © 2023 The Authors. Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH

Liquid dynamics determine transition metal-N-heterocyclic carbene complex formation

Invited for the cover of this issue are Oldamur Hollczki and co-workers at the Universities of Bonn, Ghent and Debrecen. The image depicts the search of an ionic base for the acidic proton of an imidazolium cation in order to form a carbene complex. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202203636

Separation of Carbon Dioxide from Nitrogen or Methane by Supported Ionic Liquid Membranes (SILMs): Influence of the Cation Charge of the Ionic Liquid

Supported ionic liquid membranes (SILMs) are promising tools for the separation of carbon dioxide from other gases. In this paper, new imidazolium, pyrrolidinium, piperidinium, and morpholinium ionic liquids with a triethylene glycol side chain and tosylate anions, as well as their symmetrical dicationic analogues, have been synthesized and incorporated into SILMs. The selectivities for CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 separations have been measured. The selectivities exhibited by the dicationic ionic liquids are up to two times higher than the values of the corresponding monocationic ionic liquids. Quantum chemical calculations have been used to investigate the difference in the interaction of carbon dioxide with monocationic and dicationic ionic liquids. The reason for the increased gas separation selectivity of the dicationic ionic liquids is two-fold: (1) a decrease in permeance of nitrogen and methane through the ionic liquid layer, presumably due to their less favorable interactions with the gases, while the permeance of carbon dioxide is reduced much less; (2) an increase in the number of interaction sites for the interactions with the quadrupolar carbon dioxide molecules in the dicationic ionic liquids, compared to the monocationic analogues.status: publishe

The Catalytic Effect of Fluoroalcohol Mixtures Depends on Domain Formation

In the present contribution, we investigated catalytically active mixtures of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) and aqueous H2O2 by molecular dynamics simulations. It is clearly observable that the HFIP molecule strongly binds to the H2O2, which is necessary for the desired catalytic reaction to occur. Upon the addition of the substrate cyclooctene to the solution, this interaction is enhanced, which suggests that the catalytic activity is increased by the presence of the hydrocarbon. We could clearly observe the microheterogeneous structure of the mixture, which is the result of the separation of the hydroxyl groups, water, and H2O2 from the fluorinated alkyl moiety in the form of large domains, which span through large areas of the system. The hydrocarbon, however, does not fit into either one of these two microphases, and it forms separate aggregates in the macroscopically homogeneous liquid, creating thereby a triphilic mixture. The latter kinds of aggregates are mostly surrounded by the fluorous moieties, and therefore, the H2O2 has to move from the polar through the fluorous domain to be able to react with the cyclooctene. Accordingly, the present reaction should be described figuratively as a phase transfer or an interfacial reaction, rather than a homogeneous liquid-phase process