Acidity modulation mechanisms governing selective extraction of nitrogen heterocycles in dual‐acid <scp>DESs</scp>

Abstract Selective capture of structurally diverse molecules remains a major challenge in chemical separations. Here, we introduce dual‐acidic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) in which Lewis acids modulate the Brønsted acidity, creating a synergistic environment for the simultaneous extraction of basic and non‐basic nitrogen‐containing molecules. Brønsted sites, activated by adjacent Lewis centers, preferentially bind basic heterocycles, while the Lewis sites coordinate with non‐basic species, achieving unprecedented extraction efficiencies. Mechanistic studies combining FT‐IR spectroscopy, density functional theory, and molecular electrostatic potential analysis reveal that proton transfer, Lewis acid–base coordination, and π–cation interactions collectively govern selective recognition. This dual‐acidic design strategy is generalizable across different LA‐metal DES compositions and robust against competing chemical species. Our findings demonstrate a rational approach to fine‐tune cooperative acid functionalities, establishing a versatile platform for selective molecular capture and separations beyond conventional single‐acid systems.

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Publication Details

Journal
AIChE Journal
Published
2026-03-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.70323
Primary Topic
Ionic liquids properties and applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Acidity modulation mechanisms governing selective extraction of nitrogen heterocycles in dual‐acid DESs

Shaojie Ma, Xinyu Liu, Hui Li, Peiwen Wu et al.
AIChE Journal
Ionic liquids properties and applications
article

Acidity modulation mechanisms governing selective extraction of nitrogen heterocycles in dual‐acid DESs

Shaojie Ma, Xinyu Liu, Hui Li, Peiwen Wu, Weiming Zhai, Huaming Li, Chunming Xu, Bangzhu Wang, Linlin Chen, Wenshuai Zhu
article en

Abstract

Abstract Selective capture of structurally diverse molecules remains a major challenge in chemical separations. Here, we introduce dual‐acidic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) in which Lewis acids modulate the Brønsted acidity, creating a synergistic environment for the simultaneous extraction of basic and non‐basic nitrogen‐containing molecules. Brønsted sites, activated by adjacent Lewis centers, preferentially bind basic heterocycles, while the Lewis sites coordinate with non‐basic species, achieving unprecedented extraction efficiencies. Mechanistic studies combining FT‐IR spectroscopy, density functional theory, and molecular electrostatic potential analysis reveal that proton transfer, Lewis acid–base coordination, and π–cation interactions collectively govern selective recognition. This dual‐acidic design strategy is generalizable across different LA‐metal DES compositions and robust against competing chemical species. Our findings demonstrate a rational approach to fine‐tune cooperative acid functionalities, establishing a versatile platform for selective molecular capture and separations beyond conventional single‐acid systems.

AIChE Journal
Sinopec (China) (CN), Jiangsu University (CN), China University of Petroleum, Beijing (CN)
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 31%
Ionic liquids properties and applications
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