The use of a microchannel reactor for optimizing the production of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium chlorides

The possibility to use microchannel flow reactors for obtaining kinetic and technological parameters of the synthesis of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIMCl) ionic liquid was demonstrated for the reaction of 1-methylimidazole (MIm) with 1-chlorobutane in the absence of solvents. BMIMCl was produced with high selectivity and specific output in a microchannel flow reactor at temperatures 120–180 °C and contact times 2-45 min at a pressure of 20 bar. The positive result is obtained due to the laminar profile of the flow and a uniform distribution of the reagents’ concentration over the microchannel cross-section. Investigation of the process kinetics in a microchannel flow reactor made it possible to reveal that the reaction moves to the diffusion resistance mode at a temperature above 150 °C. The kinetic data obtained for the BMIMCl synthesis were used to develop methods for the production of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chlorides (EMIMCl and HMIMCl, respectively) under the conditions of a microchannel flow reactor. The approach suggested in this paper is of interest for the development of flow and batch setups for a small-tonnage production of dialkylimidazolium, ammonium and pyridinium salts by quaternization of the corresponding alkyl chlorides and nitrogen-containing bases.

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