Nickel(II) Complexation with Nitrate in Dry [C4mim][Tf2N] Ionic Liquid: A Spectroscopic, Microcalorimetric, and Molecular Dynamics Study.

The complex formation of nitrate ions with nickel(II) in dry [C4mim][Tf2N] ionic liquid (IL) was investigated by means of UV-visible spectrophotometry, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. EXAFS spectroscopy and MD simulations show that the solvated Ni(II) cation is initially coordinated by the oxygens of the [Tf2N](-) anion of IL, which can behave either as mono- or bidentate. Spectroscopic and thermodynamic data show that Ni(II) is able to form up to three stable mononuclear complexes with nitrate in this solvent.