Are ionic liquids pairwise in gas phase? A cluster approach and in situ IR study †

In this work, we discussed the vaporization and gas species of ionic liquids (ILs) by a cluster approach of quantum statistical thermodynamics proposed by R. Luwig (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 10, 4333), which is a controversial issue up to date. Based on the different sized clusters (2-12 ion-pairs) of the condensed phase, the molar enthalpies of vaporization (D va