Exploring the Potential of Supported Ionic Liquids as Building Block Systems in Catalysis

Ionic Liquids in Metal, Photo-, Electro-, and (Bio) Catalysis

Ionic liquids (ILs) have unique physicochemical properties that make them advantageous for catalysis, such as low vapor pressure, non-flammability, high thermal and chemical stabilities, and the ability to enhance the activity and stability of (bio)catalysts. ILs can improve the efficiency, selectivity, and sustainability of bio(transformations) by acting as activators of enzymes, selectively dissolving substrates and products, and reducing toxicity. They can also be recycled and reused multiple times without losing their effectiveness. ILs based on imidazolium cation are preferred for structural organization aspects, with a semiorganized layer surrounding the catalyst. ILs act as a container, providing a confined space that allows modulation of electronic and geometric effects, miscibility of reactants and products, and residence time of species. ILs can stabilize ionic and radical species and control the catalytic activity of dynamic processes. Supported IL phase (SILP) derivatives and polymeric ILs (PILs) are good options for molecular engineering of greener catalytic processes. The major factors governing metal, photo-, electro-, and biocatalysts in ILs are discussed in detail based on the vast literature available over the past two and a half decades. Catalytic reactions, ranging from hydrogenation and cross-coupling to oxidations, promoted by homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts in both single and multiphase conditions, are extensively reviewed and discussed considering the knowledge accumulated until now.

Ionic liquid immobilized on modified magnetic FSM-16: an efficient and magnetically recoverable nanocatalyst

In the present article, a nanocomposite was prepared by immobilizing ionic liquid on the magnetic mesoporous FSM-16 with a core-shell structure (Fe3O4@FSM-16-SO3/IL). Subsequently, the structural properties of the synthesized nanocatalyst were characterized and analyzed by various techniques such as XRD, FT-IR, TEM, FE-SEM, BET, VSM, TGA, and EDS. Fe3O4@FSM-16-SO3/IL was used as a recoverable and efficient nanocatalyst for the synthesis of polyhydroquinoline derivatives. The magnetic nanocatalyst showed remarkable stability and reusability and was reused six consecutive times without considerable loss of its activity.

A highly stereoselective and recyclable microgel-supported bifunctional sulfonamide organocatalyst for asymmetric alcoholysis of meso-cyclic anhydrides: a thermo-responsive “organic nanoreactor”

We developed a novel thermo-responsive microgel catalyst based on readily available (1S,2S)-2-amino-1-(p-nitrophenyl)propane-1,3-diol and applied it in the field of asymmetric alcoholysis of cyclic meso-anhydrides.