The effect on the rate of reaction of each of a series of Menschutkin processes on changing from a molecular solvent to an ionic liquid was investigated. In each case, the rate acceleration observed at room temperature could be attributed to the change in the entropy of the system on reaching the transition state, offsetting any enthalpic cost.

Temperature dependent rate studies demonstrate an enthalpic benefit and an entropic cost associated with the change in the rate of a unimolecular substitution process on addition of a high proportion of an ionic liquid, the latter effect being supported by molecular dynamics simulations.

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The effects on the rate and activation parameters of a series of Menschutkin processes on changing from a molecular solvent to an ionic liquid were investigated. The removal of delocalised pi-systems from the reagents does not affect the change in activation parameters on changing solvent. In each of the cases investigated, rate accelerations observed on moving to the ionic liquid could be attributed to an increase in reaction entropy. This suggests a specific interaction of the ionic liquid with the nucleophilic centre, rather than the delocalised pi-systems of either the electrophile or the nucleophile.