Solvent cages of ionic liquid: structure and effect on catalysis

Introduction Ionic liquids are a class of novel solvents with extremely high polarity [1]. Immobilization of organometallic complexes in thin films of supported ionic liquid has recently been suggested as a novel concept to combine the high selectivity of homogeneous catalysts with the easy separation of a heterogeneous system [2]. First catalytic studies show a high potential of these systems [3]. Ordering phenomena and domain formation have been reported in recent studies [4-6]. Here, the formation of solvent cages around supported organometallic complexes is demonstrated by NMR spectroscopy. The effect on catalytic reactions is discussed.