Aqueous micellar solutions of Imidazolium based surface active ionic liquids: Promising solvent systems to boost the electrocatalytic performance of Vitamin B12 toward eco-green electro-detoxification of halocarbons

Abstract

Vitamin B12 (VB12) is considered as a promising molecular catalyst for a diverse range of important industrial, synthetic and environmental electrochemical transformations. However, the low turnover frequency (TOF) and the solubility concerns pose serious challenges in harnessing the electrocatalytic potential of VB12 for these applications. Herein, we demonstrate that aqueous micellar solutions of SAILs viz. 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([DDMIM][Cl]) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dodecyl sulfate ([BMIM][DS]) enhance by several orders the electrocatalytic efficiency of VB12 toward electroreduction of bromoacetonitrile. Our extensive voltammetric investigations, as recommended for the benchmarking of molecular catalysts, viz. Foot of Wave Analysis, catalytic Tafel plots and the resulting estimates of electrocatalytic parameters like TOF and TOF at zero overpotential, clearly establish that [DDMIM][Cl] and [BMIM][DS] micellar solutions enhance the electrocatalytic performance of VB12 by 106 and 104 times respectively. The presented study is of significant importance in light of some recent reports that have demonstrated the aptness of aqueous SAIL micellar solutions for aqueous phase eco-green electro-detoxification of water insoluble halocarbons.