Separable fluorous ionic liquids for the dissolution and saccharification of cellulose

Cellulose (medium cotton linters, C6288) was from Sigma Chemical (St. Louis, MO). Other commercial chemicals were of reagent grade or better and were used without further purification. FluoroFlash fluorous silica gel was from Aldrich Chemical (Milwaukee, WI). The term “concentrated under reduced pressure” refers to the removal of solvents and other volatile materials using a rotary evaporator at water aspirator pressure (<20 torr) while maintaining the water-bath temperature below 50 °C unless noted otherwise. The term “high vacuum” refers to vacuum (<0.1 torr) achieved by a mechanical belt-drive oil pump. NMR spectra were acquired with a Bruker DMX-400 Avance spectrometer (H, 400 MHz; C, 100.6 MHz) at the National Magnetic Resonance Facility at Madison (NMRFAM). NMR spectra were acquired at ambient temperature unless indicated otherwise. Mass spectrometry was performed with a Micromass LCT (electrospray ionization, ESI) in the Mass Spectrometry Facility in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.