The Impact of the Cation Acidity on the Interactions in the System Comprising an Ionic Liquid and Palladium Acetate

In this study, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is employed to investigate a palladium acetate solution, dissolved in ionic liquids. The electronic environment of the palladium center is detected. The impact of the cation acidity on the palladium acetate-ionic liquids interactions is probed. The subtle change in electronic environment of the palladium center when switching the cation of ionic liquids is revealed based upon Pd 3d_5/2 binding energy. It is concluded that the acidity of the cation could significantly impact the interactions between palladium center and ionic liquids, which provides with a strategy to tune the electronic environment of a solution-based metal center.