The kinetics of ferrocene volatilisation from an ionic liquid

The volatilisation of ferrocene (Fc), dissolved in the ionic liquid N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [C 4mpyrr][NTf2], to the gas phase has been indirectly monitored by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Simulation of the observed trends in concentration with time using a simple model allowed quantification of the process. Volatilisation of dissolved Fc under flowing wet and dry dinitrogen gas (N2) was found to be kinetically limited with a rate constant in the region of 2× 10-7 cm s-1. The activation energy of diffusion for Fc was found to be 28.2±0.7 kJ mol-1, while the activation energy of volatilisation of Fc from [C4mpyrr][NTf2] to dry N2 was found to be 85±2 kJ mol-1. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.