Determination of ethanol in ionic liquids using headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography.

The application of ionic liquids (ILs) as nonderivatizing solvents for the pretreatment and regeneration of cellulose is a growing area of research. Here we report the development of a rapid and simple method for the determination of residual ethanol content in two hydrophilic ILs, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate. The method utilizes headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography at elevated extraction temperatures, resulting in rapid equilibration times. The effect of IL water content on the ethanol extraction efficiency is presented. Recovery experiments carried out in real samples gave recoveries ranging from 96.8 to 98.2%.