Toxicity of imidazolium- and pyridinium-based ionic liquids and the co-metabolic degradation of N-ethylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-1-2011

Abstract

We examined the effects of the ionic liquids (ILs), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [BMIM][PF6], N-ethylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate [EtPy][BF4], and N-ethylpyridinium trifluoroacetate [EtPy][CF3COO] on Pseudomonas fluorescens, a ubiquitous soil bacterium. In the presence of 0.5- and 1% of [BMIM][PF6] or [EtPy][CF3COO] the growth of bacteria was inhibited, whereas exposing them to 1% [EtPy][BF4] increased the lag period wherein bacteria adapt to growth conditions before continuing to grow. However, at higher concentrations (5% and 10%), no growth was observed. The inhibitory effects were evident by a decrease in the optical density of the culture, a decline in the consumption of the carbon source, citric acid, and a change in the size of the bacterium. At concentrations below 1%, [EtPy][BF4] was metabolized by P. fluorescens in the presence of citric acid. Oxidation of the side alkyl-chain of [EtPy][BF4] caused the accumulation of N-hydroxylethylpyridinium and pyridinium as major degradation products. © 2010.

Identifier

79951724882 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Chemosphere

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.10.085

ISSN

00456535

PubMed ID

21112067

First Page

1690

Last Page

1695

Issue

11

Volume

82

Fund Ref

Brookhaven National Laboratory

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