The role of cations in the reduction of 9-fluorenone in bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide room temperature ionic liquids

A report is presented on some fundamental electrochemical studies based on the effects of cations on the determination of the standard potential values for five bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide Room Temperature Ionic Liquids (RTILs) in the electrochemical reduction of 9-fluorenone, a well-known redox probe. The standard potential values obtained can be related to the solvation process of the electrogenerated fluorenone radical anion. The accurate determination of the above-mentioned values for RTILs, which are composed of unsymmetrical organic cations and a weakly-coordinating inorganic anion, can be used as a good starting point for establishing the basis for the design of new more environmentally friendly and energetically efficient electrosynthetic routes, as well as new optoelectronic devices based on fluorenone chemistry in those ionic solvents.