The solubility parameters of four
ionic liquids (ILs), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium
methyl sulfate ([EMIM]Â[MeSO4]), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium
methyl sulfate ([BMIM]Â[MeSO4]), 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium
methyl sulfate ([HMIM]Â[MeSO4]), and 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium
methyl sulfate ([OMIM]Â[MeSO4]), were estimated using two
complementary methods. The first is an inverse gas chromatography
(IGC) method, which determined the Hildebrand solubility parameters
of four ILs based on a series of formulaic calculations. The second
is the Hansen solubility sphere method, which determined the Hansen
solubility parameters (HSPs) of the four ILs based on solubility testing
of four ILs in 30 pure solvents. The results showed that the Hansen
solubility sphere method provides higher values of the solubility
parameters, while the IGC method presents lower values. In addition,
the miscibilities of ILs in various solvents were evaluated by the
method of IGC, and the results exhibit good agreement with those derived
from the Hansen solubility sphere method. It is confirmed that the
IGC and Hansen solubility sphere methods can be used to determine
the solubility parameters of the ILs and were useful for solvent selection.