Bichloride-based ionic liquids for the merged storage, processing, and electrolysis of hydrogen chloride.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38569024.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.adn5353 and PMC identifier 10990271.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Hydrogen chloride is produced as a by-product in industrial processes on a million-ton scale. Since HCl is inherently dangerous, its storage and transport are avoided by, e.g., on-site electrolysis providing H<sub>2</sub> and Cl<sub>2</sub> which usually requires complex cell designs and PFAS-based membranes. Here we report a complementary approach to safely store 0.61 kilogram HCl per kilogram storage material [NEt<sub>3</sub>Me]Cl forming the bichloride [NEt<sub>3</sub>Me][Cl(HCl)<i><sub>n</sub></i>]. Although HCl release is possible from this ionic liquid by heat or vacuum, the bichloride can be used directly to produce base chemicals like vinyl chloride. Alternatively, [NEt<sub>3</sub>Me][Cl(HCl)<i><sub>n</sub></i>] is electrolyzed under anhydrous conditions using a membrane-free cell to generate H<sub>2</sub> and the corresponding chlorination agent [NEt<sub>3</sub>Me][Cl(Cl<sub>2</sub>)<i><sub>n</sub></i>], enabling the combination of these ionic liquids for the production of base chemicals.