Volatile times for ionic liquids

摘要

Ionic liquids are useful substances, but in certain applications their utility is limited because they are involatile — or so we thought. In fact, some ionic liquids can be distilled, and even thermally separated. The unique physical and chemical properties of ionic liquids — molten salts characterized by melting points below 100℃ — can be used to enhance the efficiency of a wide range of electrochemical, analytical, synthetic and engineering processes. This has generated huge interest in these liquids, with their first applications in industrial organic synthesis now being reported. On page 831 of this issue, Earle and colleagues, a collaboration of researchers from Portugal, Northern Ireland and the United States, report that some ionic liquids are volatile, and so can be distilled. The findings shake up the received wisdom that ionic liquids are involatile as a class, and might extend their range of applications still further.