Hydrolysis of Tetrafluoroborate and Hexafluorophosphate Counter Ions in Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids

Controversy behind the postulation that ionic liquids (ILs) are entirely green materials emerged a few years ago. This statement is not always valid, and properties such as toxicity and chemical/thermal stability of ILs should be fully characterized to evaluate their potential use as green solvents. Therefore, in this work, the thermal and chemical decompositions of hexafluorophosphate- and tetrafluoroborate-based ILs in aqueous solutions were evaluated. The experimental conditions employed allowed the study of the possible decomposition of both anions, the effect of the cation side alkyl chain length, the influence of the pH of the aqueous solutions, as well as the temperature influence. Three experimental…