Separation of THF and water by room temperature ionic liquids

Liquid-liquid equilibrium data are presented for mixtures of 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium chloride or tetrafluoroborate + tetrahydrofuran(THF) + water at 293.15 K. The data presented provides a valuable insight into how the environmentally friendly ionic liquid solvent can have the separation power of THF-water azeotropic systems. The sloping of the tie lines towards the THF vertex is investigated for mixtures of 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium chloride (or tetrafluoroborate) + THF + water. Selectivity values, derived from the tie line data, indicate that these two ionic liquids are suitable solvents for the liquid-liquid extraction of water from THF.