1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide: A Practical Look at a Unique Ionic Liquid
Historical Development
Curiosity about new solvents kicked off a wave of research into ionic liquids back in the late 20th century. Traditional solvents posed all sorts of hazards—fire, toxicity, pollution. Scientists looked for safer, more efficient alternatives, and that search turned up a range of imidazolium-based compounds. People in labs kept tweaking their structures. Out popped 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bromide, a salt that didn’t bother to crystallize at room temperature. Over the years, research moved from an academic curiosity into industrial laboratories, as companies wanted a better handle on green chemistry and looked for ways to swap out old solvents in batteries, separations, and organic syntheses. Innovations in chemical synthesis and purification helped make this compound more accessible and affordable, which fueled further study.
Product Overview
1,3-Dibutylimidazolium bromide carries two butyl groups on the nitrogen atoms of the imidazole ring and a bromide counterion. People involved with ionic liquids often know it under trade names or by its short-hand, [BBIM]Br. It doesn’t evaporate like water or organic solvents. Instead, this compound often hangs around as a clear or pale yellow liquid with a little bit of viscosity, more like syrup than oil. It turned out this makes handling safer and helps slow down loss during reactions.
Physical & Chemical Properties
The melting point for this ionic liquid sits comfortably below room temperature, and solubility reaches into both water and a range of organic solvents—a rare flexibility. Density checks in heavier than water, so it settles in layering experiments. It runs slightly conductive, thanks to those free-moving ions, which lets it shine as an electrolyte in batteries and capacitors. Chemical stability in air and water means it doesn’t break down when kept on the shelf. That stability, combined with its non-flammability and low vapor pressure, drew attention from safety-conscious industries.
Technical Specifications & Labeling
Commercial suppliers mark 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bromide with purity ratings, often reaching above 98%. Typical containers come sealed and labeled with the batch, date, and an expiration estimate. Clear warning symbols indicate its low hazard profile, though safe storage protocols always apply. Containers should block light and moisture, and chemical-resistant gloves make for smart handling. Analytical charts—NMR, IR, and HPLC—back up purity claims, which helps folks in both industry and academia confirm that their purchase matches what they planned to use.
Preparation Method
Chemical labs produce this compound by alkylating imidazole with 1-bromobutane in a controlled reaction. Stirred with a base, this process tacks butyl groups onto the imidazole ring. Next comes purification, often using solvent washes and filtration to weed out by-products. Yields run high when labs control temperature and dosing, and the end result brings out a clear product that fits the requirements for both research and scale-up in manufacturing.
Chemical Reactions & Modifications
The imidazolium ring holds up well under heat and moderate acidity, making it a tough backbone for catalytic reactions. Adding new side chains or swapping the bromide out for another anion shifts its melting point, solubility, and other physical characteristics. Researchers frequently peg this compound for transformations in green chemistry, metal extraction, or as a starting point for further functionalization, creating catalysts or solvent blends that expand the toolset for all sorts of reactions, especially where water-sensitive steps are involved.
Synonyms & Product Names
Over time, chemical suppliers and journal articles adopted several names for this product. [BBIM]Br appears commonly in scientific literature. It also turns up as 1,3-dibutyl-1H-imidazolium bromide, dibutylimidazolium bromide, or N,N-dibutylimidazolium bromide. Academic and industry researchers cross-check these names to avoid mix-ups in sourcing materials or referencing published results.
Safety & Operational Standards
People who work with 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bromide know it generally behaves better than many volatile organics. Even so, standard personal protective equipment—goggles, gloves, lab coats—always comes out, since the long-term effects of ionic liquids only show up after extended study. Environmental disposal standards call for neutralization and incineration where possible, limiting any escape into waterways or the broader ecosystem. Lab managers check for updated MSDS sheets and stay alert for regulatory changes about ionic liquid handling.
Application Area
Applications cover a surprising spread. Batteries, dye-sensitized solar cells, and supercapacitors rely on its ionic conductivity and chemical resilience. Extraction and separation science uses this liquid to pull metal ions out of mixes without the headaches tied to organic solvents. Pharmaceutical companies test it as a solubilizer for poorly soluble drugs. Catalysis and organic synthesis benefit from the stability and non-volatility. Everyone from academic researchers to manufacturing engineers see potential in systems where the old way looked risky or wasteful.
Research & Development
University and corporate labs often push the envelope, hunting for breakthroughs in reaction yields and environmental impact. 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium bromide sits in the middle of several trends—energy storage, green separation techniques, polymer production. These labs focus on tuning physical properties by swapping the anion or tweaking alkyl chains, which leads to journals packed with comparative data on electrochemical performance, stability, and recyclability. Industry partnerships support process scale-up and new application trials, helping ionic liquids leave the test tube and enter real-world production.
Toxicity Research
Anytime a new chemical catches on, toxicology becomes crucial. Initial studies saw low acute toxicity for this compound, but long-term aquatic toxicity and bioaccumulation remain active research fields. Some early results pointed out that fish and invertebrates show sensitivity over time if exposed to higher concentrations. Research circles around the need for proper waste management and eco-friendly alternatives, even among so-called green solvents. Regulatory agencies and independent labs keep testing, updating guidance as fresh data comes in.
Future Prospects
Growing demand for safer, more sustainable materials in electronics, energy, and manufacturing pushes further adoption of ionic liquids like 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bromide. People in industry expect improvements in synthesis methods and better waste treatment strategies. Applied researchers hope to lower production costs and expand recycling, making these liquids fit for mass-market products. New regulations and public attention to environmental safety might drive suppliers to invest in lower-toxicity variants or broader safety testing. With steady funding and cross-disciplinary collaboration, many see this compound playing a bigger role in making chemistry greener, a goal backed by both environmental needs and market trends.
The Power Inside an Unassuming Chemical
Most people won’t come across 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide in daily life, but in a laboratory setting, its value stands out to anyone who studies chemistry with a focus on materials and reactions. Not some magic ingredient, but it brings a lot of possibility to the table through what chemists call ionic liquids. It came up in my work during a greener solvents project, where finding better, safer options than the usual volatile organic compounds mattered for both safety and results.
Helping Build Greener Chemistry
This compound belongs to the imidazolium salts family. Its appeal comes from its role in ionic liquids — substances that stay liquid at room temperature and don’t easily evaporate. Industries dealing with pharmaceuticals and electronics demand solvents that cut down on waste, lower risks, and still deliver powerful dissolving ability. Here, 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide fills the gap. Its structure gives it thermal stability and much less toxicity compared to classic solvents like benzene or chloroform. Researchers are always searching for options that make lab work safer for people and better for the environment, and this one keeps turning up as a winner in those searches.
Pushing Forward with Advanced Applications
Its main uses pop up in organic synthesis, extraction processes, and electrochemistry. Take organic synthesis — this field relies heavily on efficient, selective reactions with minimal by-products. Ionic liquids made using 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide help chemists carry out reactions under milder conditions and often with better yields. I’ve watched researchers replace less sustainable solvents with these ionic liquids and cut down on hazardous waste while keeping results strong.
Another big role comes during metal extraction and catalyst recovery. Traditional processes often release nasty fumes or leave behind toxic sludge. When this compound steps in, extraction runs smoother and cleaner, which eases cleanup and helps companies meet tougher environmental rules. In my experience, switching to such solvents helped a team cut costly disposal fees, which goes to show how smart chemistry decisions pay off in the accounting books too.
Supporting Emerging Technologies
Energy storage and electronics, two sectors growing fast, look for materials that work under unique conditions. This is where 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide fits neatly into battery research and sensor technology. Because it can handle heat and does not break down easily, it gets tested as an electrolyte for lithium-ion and other advanced batteries. Researchers testing new devices benefit from a liquid that doesn’t catch fire easily and won’t evaporate or degrade right away.
Handling and the Human Factor
Lab safety always comes first. Studies show that these ionic liquids usually pose less danger to workers than traditional solvents, but nobody can ignore safety data sheets and responsible storage. Proper gloves, ventilation, and waste handling keep people safe. Training matters, and so does knowing that even greener substances demand respect — something hammered into every chemist during their first weeks in the lab.
Moving Toward Smarter Solutions
The story of 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide speaks to the wide effort in chemistry to build safer, more effective materials. Choosing modern solvents opens up better ways to run reactions, shrink hazardous waste, and keep labs safer for everyone. Its role keeps growing as industries demand smarter solutions for today’s more challenging problems. Anyone who wants to see how science drives positive change can find a good example in how this one compound fits into labs and factories far beyond basic research.
Breaking Down the Name
Chemistry loves to throw long, twisting names at us. But sometimes, you find a chemical like 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide that invites a closer look, because it’s more than just jargon on a bottle. Its chemical formula is C11H21BrN2 and its CAS number is 85100-77-2. Right there you have the nitty-gritty for any lab catalog, but what the formula stands for goes a lot further than just numbers and letters.
Why Formula and CAS Numbers Matter
Formulas act like a recipe. C11H21BrN2 unlocks the details someone in the lab needs: how many carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and bromine atoms get stitched together. No two molecules can swap places if you want real results. That’s huge, especially when recipes shift from chalkboard to industrial scale. Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand how one small chemical mix-up can throw off an experiment, leaving everyone frustrated—or even at risk.
The CAS number, 85100-77-2, offers a different kind of precision. Try hunting down a specific compound without it, and you’ll run into dozens of similar-sounding options, some of which could be wildly different. A unique code keeps things clear and helps you avoid the sort of confusion that crowds lab storerooms with the wrong stuff. In tech write-ups, good researchers always lean on the CAS number to prevent debate over sample identity. In my own work, I’ve seen it save days of detective work.
So, What’s the Point?
1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide isn’t something you find in a kitchen cupboard. Scientists lean on it mostly as an ionic liquid or phase transfer catalyst. People building better batteries, or searching for greener chemical processes, experimented with combinations of molecules in liquid form, hoping for higher efficiency or lower toxicity. I remember a time in grad school, digging through research papers on ionic liquids. This family of substances came up over and over in hopes of finding alternatives to volatile organic solvents. The truth is, these compounds offer the chance to do the same work as harsh chemicals—without filling the air with nasty fumes.Not every new solvent lives up to the promise, but innovation depends on details. Putting the formula and CAS number in black and white helps engineers, environmental testers, or anyone in the supply chain know what they’re really dealing with.
Spotting Challenges & Solutions
Keeping chemical identities clear makes science safer and faster. Mix-ups can turn a routine order into a safety problem—or even a legal one. Good labeling and training solve a lot of these headaches. Digital inventory systems track CAS numbers so you can quickly spot outdated or incorrect stock. Pushing for stricter regulations in global trade helps too, since suppliers can’t get away with vague substitutes or confusion over what’s in the container.Education helps, especially for students or anyone starting out in industrial work. Hands-on training about why formula and CAS matter keeps mistakes out of the system.
Connecting Details to Real Work
Simple details build the backbone of research and production. C11H21BrN2 and 85100-77-2 pin down 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide as a chemical you can find, trust, and study further. Building trust in supply chains, cleaner experimentation, or safer workplaces all starts with facts—never loose guesses or vague labels. In my experience, the devil in the details ends up saving everyone time, money, and sometimes even lives.
Unpacking Concerns Around a Modern Chemical
1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide pops up in research articles and lab supply catalogs with increasing regularity. Its rising profile comes from its use as an ionic liquid in green chemistry applications, catalysis, or electrochemistry. New chemicals tend to ride in on the wave of promise, but every shiny solution needs real scrutiny. Questions about toxicity and hazard follow, and no responsible chemist ignores those questions, no matter how niche the chemical might seem.
What Researchers Have Learned So Far
Toxicology often lags behind new compound synthesis. Direct long-term animal studies specific to 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide aren’t easy to find, but scientists usually start by looking at related substances. Imidazolium-based ionic liquids have been getting attention for their potential toxicity. Some of these compounds can irritate skin, eyes, or respiratory systems. There’s evidence that certain ionic liquids hurt aquatic species like algae and daphnia, sometimes at low concentrations. This raises a serious flag for sustainability in manufacturing and disposal.
In lab work, inhalation risk sits pretty low for this salt since it does not evaporate easily, but accidents rarely show up only in textbooks. Spills happen, people work directly with unknowns, and contact with skin occurs. I learned early in my own lab time that gloves only last so long, and even “safe-looking” chemicals can leave you with rashes or headaches if you’re unlucky or careless. In this landscape, erring on the side of caution always seems smarter than being cavalier with a novel substance.
Routes for Exposure and Why They Matter
Most folks outside of research labs or chemical plants won’t bump into 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide in daily life. For those of us who have worked in wet chemistry environments, breathing, eating, and touching are the routes that really matter. Ingestion seems improbable but not impossible—one missed handwash before lunch, one misplaced flask, and you’ve introduced risk. Irritation from direct skin or eye exposure hammers home basic safety. Put on goggles and gloves, especially for ionic liquids, because their risk profile isn’t always clear just from looking at a safety data sheet.
The Big Picture: Environment and Regulation
This substance belongs to a growing family of compounds surrounding the sustainable chemistry movement. Ironically, the very thing that makes these ionic liquids appealing—their stability and low vapor pressure—means they can hang around in water or soil and build up over time. Reports in environmental chemistry journals raise worries about aquatic toxicity, impacts on bacteria, or breakdown to more hazardous byproducts. Once a product or intermediate leaves the controlled world of the bench, tracking its fate gets tougher.
Moving Toward Responsible Use
So far, 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide doesn’t make the lists of heavily regulated substances like lead, mercury, or classic pesticides. It hasn’t hit the volumes that grab government attention or broad industry oversight. This doesn’t mean we should relax; it just means the burden falls more heavily on those of us using the compound to follow best practices. Environmental Health and Safety officers train us to review literature, treat everything new with respect, and record all incidents. Seeking out updated safety data sheets, following chemical-specific disposal rules, and keeping an eye on new publications keeps everyone safer—whether you work in a startup lab or an academic science building. The story of this ionic liquid—like so many—reminds us that innovation runs best when respect for risk keeps pace with curiosity.
Keeping Chemicals Under Control: A Practical Look
Working with any chemical, safety turns into more than just a checkbox. In my own days as a lab tech, nobody cared about big scientific speeches—they wanted things simple, and getting 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide wrong could mean headaches for anyone nearby. There’s no point pretending things magically stay safe. Everyone in the room shares the responsibility, and if you’re handling this stuff, paying attention matters.
Why Care About Storage in the First Place?
The old adage “out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t work with chemicals. 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide comes as a solid, sometimes giving off a faint, almost sweet scent if it starts to break down. You won’t find it melting in the sun, but moisture can cause clumping and unpredictable reactions. I remember a freezer shelf ruined after someone thought, “Room temperature should be fine.” That moment cost several hundred bucks and an entire afternoon cleaning contaminated vials.
Better storage starts with temperature and moisture. Tightly sealed glass or high-density polyethylene bottles beat flimsy containers any day. Avoid keeping it near sinks, windows, or, worse, with acids or strong oxidizers. Anyone storing solvents knows how chemical fumes enjoy mixing, often in ways that catch new folks off guard. The best storage spot stays dry, cool, and away from direct sunlight—think back of a locked cabinet or chemical refrigerator, never sitting out on a bench.
Day-to-Day Handling: Experience Speaks Louder Than Labels
Many assume labeled containers and a fancy SDS sheet do the whole job. Anyone who’s actually handled powders knows accidents sneak up fast. Inhaling dust or getting crystals on your skin can trigger allergic reactions, especially after repeated exposure. I’ve seen coworkers get lazy with gloves, picking up little burns and rashes that take forever to heal. Nitrile or latex gloves, a well-fitted lab coat, and, above all else, glasses or splash goggles—you learn to keep these on by habit, not by rule.
If some of the solid spills, the response means a lot more than just sweeping it up. Scoop with a plastic spatula, not your hand, and never use a vacuum—it spreads dust everywhere. Dump the waste right into a proper chemical waste bin. Our lab always kept a bag of absorbent granules on hand for larger cleanups, and it made life easier more than once.
Ventilation and Team Communication
Many folks work in older labs with dodgy ventilation. Crack the window or fire up the fume hood before opening a fresh container. Even a minor whiff in the air can irritate sensitive noses. Good teams talk openly about what they’re working with. In my experience, accidents drop significantly when everyone hears about new shipments or tasks involving special chemicals. Posting a clear inventory list and updating it after every use keeps everyone honest.
Improving the Basics: Simple Fixes Go a Long Way
Most mishaps come from overconfidence or carelessness. Make glove, eye, and respiratory protection standard, and check that caps are tight before sealing containers away. Anyone using 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide should know where spill kits and emergency showers are—don’t skip dry runs. Keeping safety data within reach, along with regular chats about best practices, sets the tone every lab or workshop needs. Sometimes, experience really is the best teacher, but only fools ignore lessons learned the hard way.
A Look at 1,3-Dibutylimidazolium Bromide
Many in the research world lean toward chemicals like 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bromide for their unusual mix of characteristics. I spent several months working in a university lab, encountering compounds that walk the line between classic organic salts and ionic liquids. This one always stands out. With its imidazolium core and two butyl chains, it manages to straddle both worlds: sometimes a salt in the solid state, sometimes a liquid, even below 100°C. Tackling the solubility and physical details sheds light on why chemists pay so much attention to it.
Solubility: More than Just Mixing
Solubility isn’t only about whether a compound dissolves or not. For imidazolium salts with bulkier side groups, it’s about the interaction with solvents. From what I’ve seen—and confirmed by published data—1,3-dibutylimidazolium bromide dissolves easily in water and polar solvents like ethanol and methanol. The bromide anion, being quite polar, boosts the salt’s water-loving nature. But toss it in hexane, and it barely budges. This means in practical terms, researchers can recover or purify it using solvents that don’t mix well with water, cutting down on waste and time.
Some colleagues used this compound in extraction experiments. They leaned on its water solubility to selectively fish out metal ions, then pulled it from solution with non-polar solvents. It’s not just a trick for academic labs—industry processes rely on these properties to recycle catalysts or clean up the byproducts of bigger syntheses.
Physical Properties: Not Your Everyday Salt
Compared to table salt or even basic organic powders, 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bromide feels oily to the touch, and its melting point hovers close to room temperature, often around 80 to 90°C. This low melting point puts it in the “ionic liquid” category. Such liquids break all sorts of rules that most of us were taught about ionic compounds—like “salts are always solid at room temp.” These liquids won’t vaporize or burn off easily, so spills linger, and cleaning glassware takes more work.
Its density runs higher than water—these molecules pack together tightly, thanks to the bulky butyl groups and the heavy bromide. Viscosity is another issue. Pouring this ionic liquid is a bit like handling honey, especially below the melting point. This thickness can slow down reactions and complicate mixing in bigger vessels, so planning ahead matters.
Why It Matters: Practical Lessons from the Lab
In my experience, researchers pick a salt like this for projects in green chemistry, electrochemistry, and pharmaceutical processing. The environmental angle comes from the ease of recycling and minimal vapor pressure, cutting down on air pollution during use. Electrochemists love it for stable conductivity and easy ion transfer—think batteries or fuel cells where reliability trumps flashiness.
There’s also the safety side. Working with 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bromide, I never worried about breathing in harmful fumes, but skin contact can still cause irritation. Gloves and proper ventilation stay important. Disposal must follow regulations for bromide salts, even though these compounds appear less threatening than volatile organic solvents.
Moving Toward Smarter Use
The future of chemicals like 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bromide depends on our willingness to look beyond old habits. Labs and factories interested in cutting waste and stepping toward greener reactions can benefit from the balance of water solubility, physical quirks, and recyclability. Better solvent choice, smarter purification steps, and strong safety practices can make these salts key to sustainable lab work.
