Evaluating Ionic Liquids as Hypergolic Fuels: Exploring Reactivity from Molecular Structure

A total of 38 ionic liquids (19 of which are new) comprised of 13 cations, 1-propargyl-3-methyl-imidazolium, 1-allyl-3-methyl-imidazolium, 1,3-dimethyl-imidazolium, 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium, 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium, 1-meth-oxyethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium, 1-methyl-4-butyl-1,2,4-triazolium, 1-methyl-4-allyl-1,2,4-triazolium, 1-methyl-4-amino-1,2,4-tri-azolium, N-butyl-N-methyl-pyrrolidinium, N-allyl-N-methyl-pyrrolidinium, N-allyl-pyridinium, and N-butyl-3-methyl-pyridinium, paired with three anions, dicyanamide, azide, and nitrocyanamide, have been prepared, characterized, and evaluated as potential hypergolic fuels by determining key physical, thermal, and ignition properties. The reactivity of these ionic liquids (32 liquids and 6 solids which melt below 100 °C) was strongly correlated to increased electron density in the cation, while small changes in physical properties had little effect beyond a certain threshold, suggesting that subtle changes in chemical reactivity can greatly influence the hypergolic ignition pathway.