International audienceA total of 38 ionic liquids (19 of which are new) comprised of 13 cations, 1-propargyl-3-methyl-imidazolium, 1-allyl-3-methyl-imidazolium, 1,3-dimethyl-imidazolium, 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium, 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium, 1-methoxyethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium, 1-methyl-4-butyl-1,2,4-triazolium, 1-methyl-4-allyl-1,2,4-triazolium, 1-methyl-4-amino-1,2,4-triazolium, N-butyl-N-methyl-pyrrolidinium, N-allyl-N-methyl-pyrrolidinium, N-allyl-pyridinium, and N-butyl-3-methyl-pyridinium, paired with three anions, dicyanamide, azide, and nitrocyanamide, have been prepared, characterized, and evaluated as potential hypergolic fuels by determining key physical, thermal, and ignition properties. The reactivity of these ionic liquids (32 liquids and 6 solids which melt below 100 degrees C) was strongly correlated to increased electron density in the cation, while small changes in physical properties had little effect beyond a certain threshold, suggesting that subtle changes in chemical reactivity can greatly influence the hypergolic ignition pathway

The solubility of benzene in 15 imidazolium, pyrrolidinium, pyridinium, and piperidinium ionic liquids has been determined; the resulting, benzene-saturated ionic liquid solutions, also known as liquid clathrates, were examined with (1) H and (19) F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to try and understand the molecular interactions that control liquid clathrate formation. The results suggest that benzene interacts primarily with the cation of the ionic liquid, and that liquid clathrate formation (and benzene solubility) is controlled by the strength of the cation-anion interactions, that is, the stronger the cation-anion interaction, the lower the benzene solubility. Other factors that were determined to be important in the final amount of benzene in any given liquid clathrate phase included attractive interactions between the anion and benzene (when significant), and larger steric or free volume demands of the ions, both of which lead to greater benzene solubility.

Syntheses of porous organic cages (POCs) represent an important synthetic puzzle in dynamic covalent chemistry-based self-sorting. Improved understanding of the formation mechanisms of POCs can lead to control and rational design of cages with desired functionality. Herein, we explore the formation mechanisms of imine-based POCs using time-resolved electrospray mass spectrometry and electronic structure calculations at the density functional theory and correlated molecular orbital theory levels. We found that the synthesis of the [4 + 6] cycloimine cage CC3-R and the [2 + 3] cycloimine cage CC-pentane both proceed through similar intermediates via a series of consecutive reactions. The proposed reaction mechanisms are supported by electronic structure calculations. On the basis of our observations from both experiments and calculations, we propose a comprehensive method for designing and predicting new POC species. In addition, the observation of stable incomplete cages during CC3-R synthesis inspired us to design intentionally defective cages. These missing-linker-type molecular defects were installed into CC3-R via nonsolvent induced crystallization. The defective CC3-R materials were found to have enhanced CO2 interaction and improved CO2 uptake capacity due to the additional functional groups present within the CC3 crystals.

Ball milling of boron in an H2 atmosphere was found to result in hydrogen uptake of up to 5% by weight (36 mol %). The nature of the hydrogen binding to boron was probed by a combination of ab initio theory, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and mass spectral measurements of gases evolved during sample heating. The dominant binding mode is found to be H atoms bound to B atoms in the surface layer of the particles, and the high hydrogen loading results from production of very high surface area, indicating that gaseous H2 is an effective agent promoting size reduction in milling. Hydrogen incorporated in the samples was found to be stable for at least a month under ambient conditions. Desorption is observed beginning at ∼60 °C and continuing as the temperature is increased, with broad desorption features peaking at ∼250 and ∼450 °C, and ending at ∼800 °C. Unprotected hydrogenated boron nanoparticles were found to be reactive with O2 producing a hydrated boron oxide surface layer that decomposed readily at 100 °C leading to desorption of H2O. Hydrogenated boron nanoparticles were found to promote a higher flame height in the hypergolic ignition of ionic liquids upon contact with nitric acid.

To establish a model of metal-organic framework (MOF) surfaces and build an understanding of surface-specific ligand adsorption phenomena in MOFs, we present a computational study exploring multiple models of a series of MOF-2 nanosheet materials, "M-BDCs", with M = Zn, Cu, and Co and BDC = benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate. We study and assess the appropriateness of a series of models ranging from small clusters (18 atoms) to fully periodic sheet models. We additionally study the interactions of these models with acid gases and energy-relevant small molecules (CO, CO, HO, SO, NO, and HS). We employ computational methods ranging from DFT with various exchange-correlation functionals to perturbative and coupled-cluster methods. For these systems, we present binding energies and enthalpies with the various ligands studied as well as IR frequency shifts for the normal modes of these ligands upon complexation with the open-metal sites of these materials. Our calculations lead to an understanding of phenomena unique to MOF surfaces and the importance of the periodicity in these materials in capturing surface-specific adsorption behaviors.