Characterization of the acidity and basicity of green solvents by NMR techniques
Kemeng Shi, Christian Pedersen, Hui Chang, Jing Shi, Yingxiong Wang, Yan Qiao
Abstract
The acidity and basicity of the solvents can influence the reaction outcome notably, and hence the precise measurement of pH is important for reaction. However, not all the pH values of organic solvents can be determined with a classic pH meter straightly. In this research, the acidity and basicity of environmentally friendly green solvents , such as ZnCl 2 molten salt hydrate, ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs), were characterized by 31 P and 1 H NMR spectroscopy using trimethylphosphine oxide (TMPO) and pyrrole as probe molecules at 298 K. For the ZnCl 2 molten salt hydrate, the acidic strength of the ZnCl 2 molten salt hydrate increased with the concentration of ZnCl 2 . By using the 1 H-pyrrole NMR approach, it was found that the base strength of amino acid-based ILs follows the order: [Ch][Lys] > [Ch][His].