Liquids containing very high metal concentrations are of value for a number of applications: from electrochemistry and Lewis acidic catalysis through to metals refining and inorganic materials syntheses. In the ideal case, such liquids should have well-controlled and tunable metal coordination, leading to adjustable physical properties (i.e. viscosity modifiable from mobile liquid to glass). Some of these requirements have been met by concentrated aqueous or acetonitrile solutions, [1] molten metals/alloys, molten salts, [2] ionic liquids, [3] or deep eutectic solvents.[4] However, each approach has some drawbacks, such as high cost, solubility limits, corrosiveness, or limited control over the metal coordination environment; consequently, the ideal system remains elusive.Herein, we describe a synthetic route to liquid coordination complexes (LCCs, shown in Figure 1), identify the metal coordination environment referring to in such systems, and present LCCs as a promising addition to the metals in the liquid state toolbox.A large number of ligands were reported to induce asymmetric splitting of the "M 2 Cl 6 " unit, where M = Al III or Ga III , leading to the formation of an ionic compound of formula [MCl 2 L 2 ][MCl 4 ].[5] These were investigated primarily within two distinct disciplines, coordination chemistry and electrochemistry. The traditional methodology of a coordination chemist involves allowing a metal halide and ligand to react in a solvent, using excess or equimolar amount of ligand, followed by the isolation of a crystalline product, and its analysis by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Hence, inevitably, the majority of reported products of asymmetric cleavage are crystalline solids. For example, Richard and Beavers [6]

Efficient scrubbing of mercury vapour from natural gas streams has been demonstrated both in the laboratory and on an industrial scale, using chlorocuprate(II) ionic liquids impregnated on high surface area porous solid supports, resulting in the effective removal of mercury vapour from natural gas streams. This material has been commercialised for use within the petroleum gas production industry, and has currently been running continuously for three years on a natural gas plant in Malaysia. Here we report on the chemistry underlying this process, and demonstrate the transfer of this technology from gram to ton scale.

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A range of ionic liquids was prepared by mixing 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride with gallium(iii) chloride or indium(iii) chloride in various ratios, producing both acidic and basic compositions. Their speciation was investigated using 71Ga NMR or 115In NMR spectroscopy, as well as extended X-ray absorption fine structure. Polynuclear Lewis acidic anions, [MxCl3x+1]–, were found in chlorogallate(iii) ionic liquids, but not in chloroindate(iii) systems.