0000000000249449
AUTHOR
Marta Feroci
Insights into the effect of the spacer on the properties of imidazolium based AIE luminogens
Abstract With the aim to obtain organic salts with potential applications in high performance molecular electronics, we combined properties of π-conjugated spacers, like 1,4-diethynylbenzene and 1,6-diethynylpyrene, with the ones of both imidazole and imidazolium units. Physico-chemical properties of obtained fluorescent organic salts were investigated performing thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and cyclic voltammetry measurements (CV). Photophysical behavior of the salts was analyzed in conventional solvents and ionic liquids, by UV–vis and fluorescence investigation. Solution phase aggregation study revealed that these salts self-assemble in conve…
STABILITY AND ORGANOCATALYTIC EFFICIENCY OF N-HETEROCYCLIC CARBENES ELECTROGENERATED IN ORGANIC SOLVENTS FROM IMIDAZOLIUM IONIC LIQUIDS
The kinetic of degradation of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazole-2-ylidene (selected as model N-heterocyclic carbene - NHC), generated in organic solvents by cathodic reduction of the parent 1-butyl-3- methylimidazolium salts BMIm-X, was studied by a simple voltammetric analysis. The effect of NHC degradation rate on the efficiency of an organocatalyzed reaction (the synthesis of g-butyrolactone from cinnamaldehyde and trifluoromethylacetophenone) was investigated. The nature of the solvent and of the anion X have a remarkable effect on the stability of the NHC, the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide anion being the best for a long lasting carbene (while acetonitrile seems to be the worst solvent). …
When the functionalisation comes in useful: ionic liquids with a “sweet” appended moiety demonstrate drastically reduced toxicological effects
The growing number of applications of ionic liquids (ILs) in industry have brought attention to the green credentials of synthesis, as well as their cytotoxicities and ecotoxicities both for their use and accidental leakage into the environment. With the abovementioned properties in mind, we designed a class of ILs with either cations bearing a gluconamide motif and aliphatic side chains or the anion incorporating a gluconic acid (derived from food waste) moiety. An IL with an imidazolium cation with an appended gluconic amide (bearing five hydroxyl groups) moiety was also synthesized for a useful comparison. Different structural features were considered, placing emphasis on the nature and …
Wo3 and ionic liquids: A synergic pair for pollutant gas sensing and desulfurization
This review deals with the notable results obtained by the synergy between ionic liquids (ILs) and WO3 in the field of pollutant gas sensing and sulfur removal pretreatment of fuels. Starting from the known characteristics of tungsten trioxide as catalytic material, many authors have proposed the use of ionic liquids in order to both direct WO3 production towards controllable nanostructures (nanorods, nanospheres, etc.) and to modify the metal oxide structure (incorporating ILs) in order to increase the gas adsorption ability and, thus, the catalytic efficiency. Moreover, ionic liquids are able to highly disperse WO3 in composites, thus enhancing the contact surface and the catalytic abilit…
Solvatochromic behaviour of new donor–acceptor oligothiophenes
Oligothiophene derivatives play a central role in the formulation of materials used in devices in the field of organic electronics. In this work, we report the results of the study of UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectra, in several solvents, of a series of oligothiophenes recently synthesized in our laboratory. The studied oligothiophenes present different structures due to several factors: the donor– acceptor (D–A) or acceptor–donor–acceptor (A–D–A) architecture, the number of thiophene rings in the backbone (ranging from three to eight), the number and position of solubilizing octyl chains in the backbone, and the type of acceptor moieties (from Knoevenagel condensation either with…
The anion impact on the self-assembly of naphthalene diimide diimidazolium salts
Naphthalene diimide diimidazolium salts differing in the anion nature were synthesized and their properties as well as their self-assembly behaviour were investigated. In particular, we took into consideration the N,N′-bis-(1-octyl-3-propylimidazolium)-naphthalene diimide cations and anions differing in size, shape and coordination abilities like [I−], [BF4−] and [NTf2−]. After determination of thermal behaviour, using differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis, the electrochemical stability and redox properties were assessed using cyclic voltammetry. The self-assembly behaviour of the salts was investigated using concentration and temperature-dependent spectroscopic…
Insights into the anion effect on the self assembly of perylene bisimide diimidazolium salts
Abstract We studied how changing the anion affects the self-assembly of three diimidazolium salts bearing a perylene bisimide spacer. In particular we used [BF 4 − ] and [NTf 2 − ] based salts together with a mixed salt bearing both [I − ] and [BF 4 − ] anions. Thermal as well as concentration and temperature dependent spectroscopic investigations revealed that changing the anion impacts on solid state and solution aggregation, leading to articulate thermotropic behaviors and contrasting solvent effects, respectively. We also studied the electrochemical behavior of the salts to verify if changing the anion alters the redox properties of the salts. Finally, different anions also lead to very…
N-heterocyclic carbenes and parent cations: acidity, nucleophilicity, stability, and hydrogen bonding-Electrochemical Study and ab initio calculations
N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are widely used as organocatalysts. Their reactivity (and instability) is related to their basicity and nucleophilicity, which, in turn, are linked to their scaffold. NHCs can be generated by chemical deprotonation or electrochemical reduction of the parent azolium cations, NHCH+s. Cyclic voltammetry enabled the reduction potential of the NHCH+s to be determined; the reduction potential is related to the acidity of the NHCH+s and the oxidation potential of the NHCs, which is related to the nucleophilicity of the NHCs. It was thus possible to order different NHCH+s and NHCs by their acidity and nucleophilicity, respectively. A study on the stability of NHCs was…
Azolium and acetate ions in DMF: Formation of free N-heterocyclic carbene. A voltammetric analysis
In order to reveal the possible formation of free N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) in DMF-azolium and acetate solutions, the proton exchange equilibrium between azolium cations and CH3COO− was investigated (by cyclic voltammetry) by adding CH3COOH or tetrabutylammonium acetate to DMF solutions of imidazolium or thiazolium salts of different acidity.The voltammetric analysis confirms that the deprotonation of the azolium cation by CH3COO− (with the formation of free NHC) is significant in the case of the more acidic thiazolium cations, while it is not effective with the less acidic imidazolium ones.Accordingly, the NHC-catalyzed benzoin condensation was carried out in DMF solutions of azolium sa…
Cathodic behaviour of dicationic imidazolium bromides: the role of the spacer
The cathodic reduction of dicationic imidazolium bromides, whose spacer is either an aliphatic chain or a xylyl group, leads to the formation of the corresponding N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), which were isolated as the corresponding thiones, after reaction with elemental sulfur. The behaviour of the dications was compared with the corresponding monocations. The behaviour of dicarbenes depends on the nature of the spacer. This study evidenced that dicarbenes deriving from xylyl dications are less stable than the corresponding aliphatic ones (giving lower yields in thiones), due to a debenzylation reaction. On the other hand, the yields in thiones starting from aliphatic dications are high…