Thermodynamics of mixtures containing aromatic nitriles

TL;DR

This paper investigates the thermodynamic behavior and phase equilibria of aromatic nitrile mixtures with alkanes, hydrocarbons, and alcohols, revealing the influence of dipolar and structural effects on their properties.

Contribution

It provides new interaction parameters and models (DISQUAC and ERAS) for understanding aromatic nitrile mixtures' thermophysical properties.

Findings

Dipolar interactions are stronger in phenylacetonitrile than in benzonitrile.

Structural effects significantly influence excess properties and phase behavior.

DISQUAC and ERAS models effectively describe the thermodynamic properties of these mixtures.

Abstract

The coexistence curves of liquid-liquid equilibrium (LLE) for the mixtures: phenylacetonitrile + heptane, + octane, + nonane, + cyclooctane, or + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane and for 3-phenylpropionitrile + heptane, or + octane are reported. Aromatic nitrile + alkane, + aromatic hydrocarbon or + 1 alkanol systems are investigated using a set of thermophysical properties: phase equilibria (solid-liquid, SLE, vapour-liquid, VLE and LLE), excess molar functions, enthalpies ($H_{\text{m}}^{\text{E}}$), isochoric internal energies, isobaric heat capacities ($C_{p \text{m}}^{\text{E}}$) and volumes ($V_{\text{m}}^{\text{E}}$), and the Kirkwood correlation factor. Due to proximity effects between the phenyl and the CN groups, dipolar interactions between molecules of aromatic nitriles are stronger than those between molecules of isomeric linear nitriles. Dipolar interactions become weaker in the order: 3-phenylpropionitrile > phenylacetonitrile > benzonitrile. Benzonitrile + aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures are characterized by dispersive interactions and structural effects. The latter are more important in systems with phenylacetonitrile. Structural effects are also present in benzonitrile + n-alkane, or + 1-alkanol + mixtures. The systems mentioned above have been studied using DISQUAC. Interaction parameters for contacts where the CN group in aromatic nitriles participates are given and DISQUAC results on excess properties and phase equilibria are discussed. 1-Alkanol + benzonitrile mixtures are also investigated by means of the ERAS model. ERAS represents well $H_{\text{m}}^{\text{E}}$ of these systems. The $V_{\text{m}}^{\text{E}}$ curves of solutions with longer 1-alkanols are more poorly described, which has been explained in terms of the existence of structural effects.