Determining a Separation and Degradation of 1-butyl-3-methylpyridinium bromide, N,N,N-trimethylglycinium chloride and 2-butyl-2-hydroxy-N,N,N,-trimethyl-1-aminium chloride Ionic Liquids

Abstract

Ionic liquids (ILs) are semi-organic compounds with attractive physical and chemical properties such as negligible vapor pressure, low melting points and feasible miscibility within a range of solvents. A key factor of ILs is the ability to design these solvents by manipulating the component anion or cation. This is a major reason why ILs are referred to as designer solvents and have been in keen interest in a range of scientific disciplines. This rise in interest has also led to the increased production of ILs, however the toxicity of these designer solvents is not well known. A major concern in utilizing ILs is to develop effective remediation methods in case of environmental contamination. A separation of three ionic liquids 1-butyl-3-methylpyridinium bromide ([Bmpy][Br]), N,N,N-trimethylglycinium chloride ([Mgly][Cl]) and 2-butyl-2-hydroxy-N,N,N,-trimethyl-1-aminium chloride ([Bham][Cl]) was conducted using high performance liquid chromatography. An effective separation technique was achieved using a flow ratio of 90:10 of 5 mM KH2PO4 to MeOH. Studies have indicated that potassium permanganate can be used to breakdown pyridinium based derivatives therefore the degradation of each IL was also monitored over several weeks.