abstract
Cyrene is an emerging biobased green solvent that has been shown to have the ability to increase the solubility of hydrophobic substances in water. Even though the water–Cyrene system is an attractive solvent, its applications are hampered by difficulties in the understanding of its solvation mechanism, caused by a delicate chemical equilibrium established between water and Cyrene. This work aims to rationalize the solvent capability of the water–Cyrene system and to establish the mechanisms of solvation through which hydrophobic solutes are dissolved in it. Using the cooperative model of hydrotropy, it is shown that hydrotropy is the solubilization mechanism of hydrophobic solutes in the water–Cyrene system, in most of its concentration range. Furthermore, the ketone form of Cyrene is revealed to be the principal hydrotrope of the system, with the diol form acting as a hydrotrope only at low Cyrene
authors
Abranches, DO; Benfica, J; Shimizu, S; Coutinho, JAP
our authors
Groups
G4 - Renewable Materials and Circular Economy
G6 - Virtual Materials and Artificial Intelligence
Projects
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020)
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDP/50011/2020)
Collaboratory for Emerging Technologies, CoLab (EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES)
acknowledgements
This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020 and UIDP/50011/2020 financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC, and when appropriate, cofinanced by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. Support was provided by the AllNat project - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030463 (PTDC / EQU-EPQ / 30463/2017), financed by ERDF funds through COMPETE2020 - Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program (POCI). FCT is also acknowledged for the financial support through the project SAICTPAC/0040/2015.