We will present several topics from our recent research on the physical chemistry of ionic liquids. In particular, we are interested in understanding how the atomic and molecular properties of the ions comprising ionic liquids are correlated to their properties as strongly interacting and associating liquids. We are attempting to connect the macroscopic properties such as the temperature dependence of the viscosity and the glass transition temperature of the fragile glass-forming ionic liquids with their spectroscopic properties. We have studied both the neat ionic liquids using femtosecond Raman and NMR methods, and we have studied the solvation properties using solvatochromic fluorescence probe molecules. A new project is to understand the connection between solvation and photo-reactivity in ionic liquids using a series of novel electron donor-bridge-acceptor complexes.

Work done at Rutgers was supported by the NSF and the ACS-PRF. Work at BNL was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Chemical Sciences Division, under contract DE-AC02-98CH10886.