Design and Evaluation of Ionic Liquids as Novel CO2 Absorbents

Progress from the fourth quarter 2005 activity on the project ''Design and Evaluation of Ionic Liquids as Novel CO{sub 2} Absorbents'' is provided. Major activities in three areas are reported: compound synthesis, property measurement and molecular modeling. Last quarter we reported the first ever experimental measurement of SO{sub 2} solubility in an ionic liquid. We showed that SO{sub 2} was very soluble in the ionic liquid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([hmim][Tf{sub 2}N]). This quarter, we have measured SO{sub 2} solubility in two more ionic liquids: 1-hexyl-3-methylpyridinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([hmpy][Tf{sub 2}N]) and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium lactate ([hmim][lactate]). As with [hmim][Tf{sub 2}N], we find very high solubility of SO{sub 2} in these ionic liquids, but the lactate compounds shows the highest affinity for SO{sub 2} at low pressure. CO{sub 2} solubility was measured in three new compounds: [boronium][Tf{sub 2}N], 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium acesulfumate ([hmim][ace]), and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium saccharinate ([hmim][sac]). We find relatively poor solubility of CO{sub 2} in the latter two compounds, and solubility comparable to [hmim][Tf{sub 2}N] in the boronium compound. We also synthesized four new ionic liquids this quarter and continued refinement of our molecular simulation technique for measuring gas solubility.