A systematic study on the viscosity and refractive index of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium based ionic liquids (alkyl = methyl, butyl and hexyl) combined with three phosphorus containing anions, i.e. dimethylphosphate, methyl methylphosphonate and methylphosphonate, is reported. Experimental measurements account for temperature effects, while the refractive index is determined at multiple wavelengths in the visible and near infrared region. Despite the structural similarity of these anions, significant differences in the physical properties of the resulting ILs are identified, along with the clear trend of viscosity increase - and refractive index decrease - with increasing alkyl chain length on the cation. Ab initio theoretical calculations are carried out to support and rationalise the observed behaviour.

Despite the growing scientific and technological relevance of polydopamine (PDA), a eumelanin-like adhesive material widely used for surface functionalization and coating, knowledge of its structural and physicochemical properties, including in particular the origin of paramagnetic behavior, is still far from being complete. Herein, we disclose the unique ability of ionic liquids (ILs) to disassemble PDA, either as a suspension or as a thin film, up to the nanoscale, and to establish specific interactions with the free radical centers exposed by deaggregation of potential investigative value. Immersion of PDA-coated glasses into four different ILs ([CCim][(CHO)HPO], [CCim][(CHO)CHPO], [CCim][(CHO)PO], [N][C]) at room temperature caused the fast and virtually complete removal of the coating as determined by UV-visible spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the colored supernatants from PDA suspensions in ILs revealed the presence of nanostructures not exceeding 50 nm in diameter. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis indicated profound IL-dependent modifications in signal intensity, line-width, and g-factor values of PDA. These differences were interpreted in terms of a partial conversion of C-centered radicals into O-centered semiquinone-type components following destacking and interaction with the anion component in ILs. The discovery of ILs as a powerful tool to disassemble PDA under mild conditions provides a new entry both to detailed investigations of this biopolymer on the nanoscale and to mild removal of coatings from functionalized surfaces, greatly expanding the scope of PDA-based surface functionalization strategies.

This paper deals with the concept of process intensification applied to the extraction of essential oil (EO). Microwave\ud hydrodistillation (MWHD) and simultaneous ultrasound MW-assisted hydrodistillation (US-MWHD) were intensified by\ud coupling them with a green tool: ionic liquids (ILs). The yield and chemical composition of the cumin EO obtained by\ud MWHD and US-MWHD were compared with those from conventional hydrodistillation (HD) using water and three\ud mixtures of water with three different ILs synthesized ad hoc, as maceration and extraction media, and analysed by a\ud multivariate statistical analysis approach. The cumin EO was chemically characterized by GC and GC-MS analysis. The\ud interaction of the ILs and ILs-H2O mixtures with MW was experimentally investigated and discussed, while the ILs dipole\ud moments and optimized geometry in vacuo and in water were calculated at the DFT level. The different approaches were\ud also compared in terms of energy and time savings. All the data clearly showed that the most promising approach was USMWHD\ud using a 1,3-dimethylimidazolium dimethylphosphate mixture as maceration and extraction medium. A total yield\ud increase was achieved of up to 75% and an energy saving of 46% compared to the classical HD. The proposed technology,\ud using ILs as green solvents, which fits well with the MW and US technology, enabled a continuous-flow and batch extractor\ud to be constructed which would be useful for industrial applications

A chiral ionic liquid with a natural alcohol based chain was used as a tailoring agent for the synthesis of simple and cost effective materials such as ZnO, CuO, CuO–ZnO with peculiar morphology. The morphology and chemical composition of the microstructures were investigated by bright-field and scanning transmission microscopy (BF-TEM and STEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-VIS spectroscopy. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of ZnO, CuO and ZnO–CuO nanostructures was quantified for methylene blue (MB) dye. CuO needles had the lowest photocatalytic activity (23.8% in 40 min). Due to their peculiar forms, ZnO (flower like shape) and ZnO/CuO (leaf like shape where ZnO nanoparticles were deposited) had the highest photocatalytic activity in 40 min (93.6% for ZnO nanoparticles and 95% for ZnO–CuO nanostructures)

The effect of addition of dimethylimidazolium dimethylphosphate in the maceration step, which precedes hydrodistillation, on yield and composition of the essential oil of cinnamon dried bark and cortex has been evaluated. The use of a 1:1 ionic liquid (IL)-water mixture permitted the improvement of the essential oil yield by about 200%. Moreover, an appreciable change in the composition of the essential oils when the IL was added was observed. Noteworthy, an enrichment in (E)-cinnamaldehyde, the active metabolite of cinnamon essential oil, attributable to the degradation of lignin by the IL accompanied the impressive increase in essential oil yield

The effect of the addition of four different halide-free ionic liquids (ILs) during the maceration step on Foeniculum vulgare essential oil (EO) extraction by hydrodistillation was investigated. The EO yields and their chemical composition were also evaluated, as well as the possibility of reusing the IL aqueous solutions. Although all the investigated ILs were able to increase EO yields, 1,3-dimethylimidazolium dimethylphosphate (IL1) showed the best performance. In particular, the 1 : 1 IL1–water mixture increased the EO yield by ~40 %, even after three reuses, maintaining practically the same volatile profile.