The formation of lipid bilayers between ionic liquid droplets is presented as a new means of forming functional bimolecular networks. Ionic liquids are molten salts that have a number of interesting properties, such as the ability to be a liquid at room temperature and exceedingly low vapor pressure. Our research demonstrates that it is possible to consistently and repeatable form lipid bilayer...

Separation of benzene and cyclohexane is one of the most important processes in the petrochemical industry. However, due to their close boiling points and azeotrope formation, it is difficult to separate cyclohexane and benzene by conventional distillation processes. In this work, five thiocynate-based ionic liquids were investigated as solvent for separation of benzene and cyclohexane using ex...

Ionic liquids with anions of strong hydrogen-bond basicity have been broadly reported in the literature as effective solvents for the dissolution of the components of lignocellulosic biomass. The key attributes of various ionic liquids are reviewed with a focus on their structural and functional properties related to biomass dissolution capacity. A number of the most studied ionic liquids with ...

Room-temperature ionic liquids (ILs) are being promoted as environmentally friendly alternatives to volatile organic solvents currently used by industry. Because ILs are novel and not yet in widespread use, their potential impact on aquatic organisms is unclear. We studied the effects of several ILs on the survivorship and behavior (movement and feeding rates) of the freshwater pulmonate snail,...

Choline saccharinate and choline acesulfamate are two examples of hydrophilic ionic liquids, which can be prepared from easily available starting materials (choline chloride and a non-nutritive sweetener). The (eco)toxicity of these ionic liquids in aqueous solution is very low in comparison to other types of ionic liquids. A general method for the synthesis and purification of hydrophilic ioni...

A variety of popular ionic liquids have been synthesized and characterized, including by optimized (14)N NMR spectroscopy of the neat and dissolved ionic liquids. Ionic liquids incorporating Si(OEt)(3) groups have been immobilized on silica in a well-defined manner with the imidazolium moiety remaining intact. This has been proved by optimized one- and two-dimensional (1)H and (13)C HRMAS NMR s...

Hydrophilic coordinating chiral ionic liquids with an amino alcohol substructure were developed and efficiently applied to the asymmetric reduction of ketones. Their careful design and adaptability to the desired reaction conditions allow for these chiral ionic liquids to be used as the sole source of chirality in a ruthenium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation reaction of aromatic ketones. When u...

A new class of compounds, called as ionic liquids, has recently emerged as potential substitute for volatile organic solvents. Ionic liquids possess certain special physico-chemical characteristics that render them very useful in different areas of research and development. In this review, the physico-chemical properties and the applications of ionic liquids in chemical processes are critically...

A convenient route for the preparation of C2-substituted imidazolium ionic liquids is reported. This method involves the alkylation of N-heterocyclic carbenes, which are readily generated from the C2-unsubstituted imidazolium ionic liquids. It works well for non-functionalized alkyl chlorides, and less well for alkyl bromides and iodides, likely due to competing elimination reactions. The resul...

Extraction of dilute metal ions from water was performed near room temperature with a variety of ionic liquids. Distribution coefficients are reported for fourteen metal ions extracted with ionic liquids containing cations 1-octyl-4-methylpyridinium [4MOPYR], 1-methyl-1octylpyrrolidinium [MOPYRRO] or 1-methyl-1-octylpiperidinium [MOPIP], and anions tetrafluoroborate [BF4], trifluoromethyl sulfo...