2014 AIChE Annual Meeting
(396g) Imparting Ionic Liquid Character to Commodity Chemicals
Authors
Jason E. Bara - Presenter, University of Alabama
John W. Whitley, University of Alabama
David A. Wallace, University of Alabama
John D. Roveda, University of Alabama
Matthew S. Shannon, University of Alabama
We have observed that certain bulky salts that are commonly used to synthesize ionic liquids are also highly soluble in a number of polar organic solvents. Thus, ionic liquid character can be easily imparted to commodity chemicals in a straightforward manner. Such mixtures provide a tunable alternative reaction media/solvent, and we have observed that this approach can have significant influence on the properties and yield of the desired product. Furthemore, a mixing approach can streamline/simplify the production of ionic liquids themselves and eliminate separation/purification steps. In this presentation, we will detail thermophysical properties of these polar organic + salt mixtures and discuss the improvements they provide with respect to chemical reactions and separations.