A series of methanesulfonate
salts with various globular cations,
including the achiral 3-quinuclidonium [QHco]+, the racemic
(3)-hydroxyquinuclidinium [QHrac]+, and the enantiopure
(3)-hydroxyquinuclidinium R-[QH]+, have been synthesized
and structurally characterized. Despite the high degree of similarity
among components, only the enantiopure salt R-[QH]MS was found to
undergo a reversible plastic transition at high temperature. Electrochemical
impedance spectroscopy was successfully applied to study proton conductivity
associated with temperature variations and the plastic phase transition
under inert and dry conditions. Ionic conductivity at RT was lower
than 10–11 S cm–1 and drastically
increased up to 1.03 × 10–3 S cm–1 at 145 °C due to the onset of the plastic phase transition.