13C NMR relaxation rates in the ionic liquid 1-methyl-3-nonylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate

A new method of obtaining molecular reorientational dynamics from C-13 spin-lattice relaxation data of aromatic carbons in viscous solutions is applied to C-13 relaxation data of the ionic liquid, 1-methyl-3-nonylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([MNIM]PF6). Spin-lattice relaxation times (C-13) are used to determine pseudorotational correlation times for the [MNIM]PF6 ionic liquid. Pseudorotational correlation times are used to calculate corrected maximum NOE factors from a combined isotropic dipolar and nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) equation. These corrected maximum NOE factors are then used to determine the dipolar relaxation rate part of the total relaxation rate for each aromatic C-13 nucleus in the imidazolium ring, Rotational correlation times are compared with viscosity data and indicate several [MNIM]PF6 phase changes over the temperature range from 282 to 362 K. Modifications of the Stokes-Einstein-Debye (SED) model are used to determine molecular radii for the 1-methyl-3-nonylimidazolium cation. The Hu-Zwanzig correction yields a cationic radius that compares favorably with a DFT gas-phase calculation, B3LYP/(6-311+G(2d,p)). Chemical shift anisotropy values, Delta sigma, are obtained for the ring and immediately adjacent methylene and methyl carbons in the imidazolium cation. The average Delta sigma values for the imidazolium ring carbons are similar to those of pyrimidine in liquid crystal solutions.