Deep eutectic solvents are liquids formed by chemical reactions or strong intermolecular interactions between two or more compounds. One of their advantages is that solvent characteristics, such as acidic/basic and hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties, depend on their constituents. Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (HDESs), made from organic compounds that are barely soluble in water, are attracting attention as alternatives to volatile organic solvents, for example, for extracting organic compounds and metal ions from aqueous solutions. Hence, the stability of the HDESs against water is an important subject. This paper addresses the solubilities of water in HDESs and of HDESs in water and the effect of dissolved water on the physicochemical properties of HDESs.
This technical note evaluates the use of Arduino Uno R4, a new revision of the standard microcontroller board, as an interface between a PC and a potentiostat. This microcontroller now includes 12 bits digital to analog converter, and the resolution of analog to digital converter has been improved to 14 bits. Using appropriate voltage conversion circuits, an interface can be constructed that allows outputting any voltage in the range of −2V to 2V with 1 mV increments to and reading voltage signals from −1V to 1V with high resolution. A prototype interface achieved analog signal output and input within 1 ms, specifically controlling the external input to the potentiostat and sampling its external output. Thus, this interface enables various voltammetry and amperometry measurements under PC control at a low cost.