Rotational dynamics of water and benzene controlled by anion field in ionic liquids: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and hexafluorophosphate

The rotational correlation time (tau(2R)) is determined for D2O (polar) and C6D6 (apolar) in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([bmim][Cl]) and hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF6]) by measuring H-2 (D) nuclear magnetic resonance spin-lattice relaxation time (T-1) in the temperature range from -20 to 110 degrees C. The tau(2R) ratio of water to benzene (tau(W/B)) was used as a measure of solute-solvent attraction. tau(W/B) is 0.73 and 0.52 in [bmim][Cl] and [bmim][PF6], respectively, whereas the molecular volume ratio is as small as 0.11. The slowdown of the water dynamics compared to the benzene dynamics in ionic liquids is interpreted by the Coulombic attractive interaction between the polar water molecule and the anion. As for the anion effect, the rotational dynamics of water solvated by Cl- is slower than that solvated by PF6-, whereas the rotational dynamics of benzene is similar in the two ionic liquids. This is interpreted as an indication of the stronger solvation by the anion with a larger surface charge density. The slowdown of the water dynamics via Coulombic solvation is actually significant only at water concentrations lower than similar to 9 mol dm(-3) at room temperature, and it is indistinguishable at temperatures above similar to 100 degrees C. The quadrupolar coupling constants determined for D2O and C6D6 in the ionic liquids were smaller by a factor of 2-3 than those in the pure liquid state.