NMR diffusion measurements as a simple method to examine solvent-solvent and solvent-solute interactions in mixtures of the ionic liquid [Bmim][N(SO2CF3)2] and acetonitrile

The self-diffusion coefficients of each component in mixtures of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([Bmim][N(SO ₂CF ₃) ₂]) and acetonitrile were determined. The results suggest that the hydrodynamic boundary conditions change from “stick” to “slip” as the solvent composition transitions from “ionic liquid dissolved in acetonitrile” (χ _IL<0.4) to “acetonitrile dissolved in ionic liquid” (χ _IL>0.4). At higher χ _IL, the acetonitrile species are affected by “cage” and “jump” events, as the acetonitrile molecules reside nearer to the charged centre on the ions than in the “non-polar” regions. The self-diffusion coefficients of hexan-1-amine, dipropylamine, 1-hexanol and dipropylether in mixtures of [Bmim][N(SO ₂CF ₃) ₂] and acetonitrile were determined. In general, the nitrogen-containing solutes were found to diffuse slower than the oxygen-containing solutes; this indicates that there are greater ionic liquid–N interactions than ionic liquid–O interactions. This work demonstrates that the self-diffusion coefficients of species can provide valuable information about solvent–solvent and solvent–solute interactions in mixtures containing an ionic liquid.