On‐Site Preparation of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents Using Solar Energy

Abstract

Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES) are currently one of the greenest solvents for both academic and industrial purposes. Despite their advantages with respect to traditional solvents, their synthesis typically requires access to power, limiting their applicability to address problems in remote locations. Addressing this shortcoming, this report describes the possibility to use a 3D‐printed solar concentrator for the on‐site preparation of NADES, approach that not only provides a simple way to adjust synthetic conditions but also represents the greenest method for their synthesis reported to date. To highlight the advantages of the approach, the preparation of twelve representative NADES was performed and benchmarked against one of the most traditional methods, involving heating and stirring. According to our results, most of the NADES tested could be prepared on‐site in <40 min and with minimal hardware requirements. Additionally, the NADES prepared were used for the extraction of chlorophyll from Vitis vinifera leaves, prior to its quantification using a smartphone and a 3D printed fluorometer. The greenness of the proposed method (calculated using the AGREE software) rendered a score of 0.86, the best reported to date.

Deep eutectic solvents towards green polymeric materials

“…The eutectic mixtures of this kind comprise bio-derived compounds, mainly sugars, amino acids, and organic acids. 10 Further, the fine-tuning of the HBD and HBA towards biocompatible molecules can enable their pharmaceutical applications. This is where the THEDESs come into play, which highlights the biocompatibility, non-volatility, solubility, retention, and controlled release of therapeutic, bioactive compounds of interest with the use of DESs.…”

Lab-on-a-bead: Polymeric natural deep eutectic solvents as a versatile platform for (bio)sensor design

“…ALGPODES were prepared following the classical heating and stirring method, considering the chemical similarities between the alginate monomers and glucose (that readily forms NADES 39,50,51 ). It is important to state that the process results in the formation of a new phase (rather than a simple mixture of the components [52][53][54] ) supported by hydrogenbonding and that is preserved even after dilution.…”

“…9,14,[30][31][32][33] In addition, and albeit not targeting biosensing applications, a few groups have recently reported the possibility to synthetize beads mixing the alginate solution with deep eutectic solvents (DES). 19,[34][35][36] These DES (mixtures of two or more pure compounds for which the eutectic temperature is below that of the ideal liquid mixture) [37][38][39] can not only be made with natural molecules (acids, sugars, alcohols, etc.) but can also open the door to unique modifications (polarity, vapor pressure, viscosity, etc.)…”

eutXG: A Machine-Learning Model to Understand and Predict the Melting Point of Novel X-Bonded Deep Eutectic Solvents

“…Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are mixtures of Lewis or Brønsted acids and bases that, upon mild heating or grinding, form a transparent mixture that remains liquid at a given temperature, at which at least one of the components would be a solid . Among the thousands of examples published, − DES featuring a melting point (MP) below room temperature are the most interesting as they have the potential to replace both traditional solvents and ionic liquids in room-temperature applications.…”