Halogenated
hydrocarbons are members of priority water contaminants
because of their negative health and environmental impacts. In this
study, the solubility of three halogenated hydrocarbons, namely, carbon
tetrachloride, chloroform, and bromoform was measured in 12 hydrophobic
ionic liquids (ILs) for temperature ranging between 25 and 45 °C.
We investigated the chemical structure and alkyl chain length effect
of three different cations (piperidinium, pyrrolidinium, and ammonium-based)
paired with bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion. It was found
that carbon tetrachloride and bromoform are partially miscible in
all tested ILs while chloroform exhibits full miscibility. For ammonium
based ionic liquids, the solubility increases with the increase of
the cation molecular weight and alkyl chain length. The results indicate
that the solubility of the studied halogenated hydrocarbons in methyltrioctylammonium
bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, octyltriethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide,
and 1-octyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)-imide
is substantial. These results confirm the potential use of ionic liquids
as powerful alternative solvents for wastewater treatment. Finally,
the predictive capability of COSMO-RS model provided excellent qualitative
agreement with experimental data both for temperature dependence and
for cations structure effect.