Ionic liquid-immobilized silica gel as a new sorbent for solid-phase extraction of heavy metal ions in water samples.

In the current study, we have developed a solid-phase extraction (SPE) method with novel C18-alkylimidazolium ionic liquid immobilized silica (SiO2-(CH2)3-Im-C18) for the preconcentration of trace heavy metals from aqueous samples as a prior step to their determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). The material was characterized by Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. A mini-column packed with SiO2-(CH2)3-Im-C18 sorbent was used for the extraction of the metal ions complexed with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) from the water sample. The effects of pH, PAN concentration, length of the alkyl chain of the ionic liquid, eluent concentration, eluent volume, and breakthrough volume have been investigated. The SiO2-(CH2)3-Im-C18 allows the isolation and preconcentration of the heavy metal ions with enrichment factors of 150, 60, 80, 80, and 150 for Cr3+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+, respectively. The limits of detection (LODs) for Cr3+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+ were 0.724, 11.329, 4.571, 0.112, and 0.819 µg L-1, respectively with the relative standard deviation (RSD) in the range of 0.941-1.351%.

Synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from monosaccharides catalyzed by superacid VNU-11-SO4 in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid.

Superacid VNU-11-SO4, a modified metal-organic framework by post-synthetic treatment with a sulfuric acid solution, has been considered as a promising heterogeneous catalyst in the isomerization of glucose to fructose and further dehydration to form 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) due to its possession of both Lewis and Brønsted acid sites. In this work, we focused on using VNU-11-SO4 for the optimization of the conversion of fructose and glucose into HMF using an ionic liquid as a green solvent. The highest yields of HMF from glucose and fructose could be obtained in 28% (140 °C, 8 h) and 86% (110 °C, 3 h), respectively, with the use of VNU-11-SO4 catalyst in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid. Recycling examination of the catalyst showed only a slight decrease in the HMF yield, implying its potential industrial application in biomass transformation.

A mild and efficient method for the synthesis of pyrroles using MIL-53(Al) as a catalyst under solvent-free sonication.

A highly efficient method for the synthesis of pyrroles using MIL-53(Al) as a catalyst has been developed under solvent-free sonication. This reaction has a broad substrate scope and high yields were obtained within a short reaction time. Remarkably, no additional additives and volatile organic solvent are required for this method and the MIL-53(Al) could be recovered and reused several times without significant drop-off in catalytic activity.