Understanding chemical reaction mechanisms in ionic liquids: successes and challenges

Abstract

The focus of this article is an examination of chemical reaction mechanisms in ionic liquids. These mechanisms are compared with those pertaining to the same reactions carried out in conventional solvents. In cases where the mechanisms differ, attempts to provide an explanation in terms of the chemical and physicochemical properties of the reactants and of the components of the ionic liquids are described. A wide range of reactions from different branches of chemistry has been selected for this purpose. A sufficient background for student readers has been included. This tutorial review should also be of interest to kineticists, and to both new and experienced investigators in the ionic liquids field.

Evaluation of interaction between imidazolium-based chloride ionic liquids and calf thymus DNA

“…Ionic liquids (ILs) have attracted considerable attention, owing to their unique properties such as very low vapor pressure, high thermal Science of the Total Environment 566-567 (2016) 1-7 stability, and excellent solvation ability (Hubbard et al, 2011;Torimoto et al, 2010). ILs can be used as media for synthesis (Miao and Chan, 2006), catalysts (Steinrück and Wasserscheid, 2015), liquid crystals, and separation processes (Anderson et al, 2002).…”

First-Principles Study of EMIM-FAFSA Molecule Adsorption on a Li(100) Surface as a Model for Li-Ion Battery Electrodes

“…2 Also of note is a striking high conductivity which makes them candidates for electrolyte applications in rechargeable Li-ion batteries. 3,4 The safety owing to their nonflammability is not the only advantage of using RTILs in the electrolyte applications: RTILs also open a window to higher energy-density batteries by using Li-metal anodes, 5−8 while traditional systems rely on intercalated graphite or alloy anodes 9 due to the serious problem of dendrite formation on the Li-metal electrode.…”

A surfactant-like ionic liquid with permanganate dissolved as a highly selective epoxidation system

“…Among these examples, ILs were addressed to play crucial roles. Recent studies also demonstrate that reactions in ILs show different thermodynamic and kinetic behaviors from conventional solvents [14]. Some systems are known to improve reaction performance to give better reaction rate, selectivity, and yields [15][16][17][18].…”