Recent Trends on Application of Ionic Liquids in Organic Synthesis

Abstract

Ionic liquids have been identified as one of the new classes of solvents that offer opportunities to move away from traditional chemical processes to new, clean technologies in which waste streams are minimized. Ionic liquids are salts composed of organic cations and organic or inorganic anions. They are liquid at room temperature and by definition have low melting points (³150 °C). Compared to conventional organic solvents, the use of ionic liquids for synthesis, catalysis and extraction has a number of advantages determined by the unique combinations of their properties. These properties are significant when addressing the health and safety concerns associated with many solvent applications. This work reviews the latest trends on the application of ionic liquids in organic reactions.