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.

[TEATNM] and [TEATCM] as novel catalysts for the synthesis of pyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles via anomeric-based oxidation

The synthesis of 2-amino-4-aryl-6-(arylamino)pyridine-3,5-dicarbonitriles was carried out using [TEATNM] and [TEATCM] as catalysts via anomeric-based oxidation.

Ionic Liquids with Weakly Coordinating [M(III)(OR(F))4](-) Anions

Ionic liquids (ILs) are defined as salts with melting points below 100 °C. They attracted much attention in the last two decades due to their unique set of properties, including high conductivities, low viscosities, negligible vapor pressure, and high electrochemical resistance. ILs are seen as tunable systems, of which (also in mixtures) up to 10(19) combinations may exist. These properties make ILs interesting candidates for a variety of fundamental to industrial applications. Our addition to this field was weakly coordinating, little interacting anions, the highly fluorinated aluminates [Al(OR(F))4](-) (R(F) = C(CF3)3, C(CH3), (CF3)2, and CH(CF3)2 and later also CH2(CF3)). We have used these anions in a broad spectrum of applications, including the stabilization of reactive cations, (polymerization) catalysis, and conducting salts for cyclic voltammetry or in electrochemical cells. Especially the [Al(Ohfip)4](-) (hfip = CH(CF3)2) anions in combination with asymmetric organic cations turned out to be very well suited for the synthesis of ILs with very low melting points, some even far below 0 °C. Also the analogous borates, [B(OR(F))4](-), were shown to yield ILs, and currently a plethora of such aluminate and borate ILs have been synthesized and thoroughly investigated. In many aspects, at least the [Al(Ohfip)4](-) ILs present almost ideally noninteracting prototype ILs with (nearly) isotropic but weak and flat Coulomb potential. Consequently, their overall interionic interactions are significantly reduced compared with other classes of ILs, resulting in an extraordinarily low degree, or (for short cation chain lengths below six) even complete absence of ion pairing. From thorough analysis of the principles governing the physical properties of this highly fluorinated IL class with minimized interactions, we were able to learn basic principles that could be extended, for example, to the prediction of the principal properties of a wide variety of typical ILs. In this Account, we give a comprehensive review of their syntheses, thermal and toxicological behavior, physical as well as dynamic properties, and use in electrochemical applications. We delineate advantages and limitations of the [M(III)(OR(F))4](-) ILs developed in our lab and give an outlook on those fields, in which there is still a lack of knowledge.

Orthoamide und Iminiumsalze, XC. Das RIBIL-Konzept – Reaktive Iminiumsalz-basierte ionische Flüssigkeiten

Es wird vorgeschlagen, das Akronym „RIBIL“ für flüssige, reaktive, Iminiumsalz-basierte Verbindungen zu verwenden. Eine Zusammenstellung von strukturell unterschiedlichen RIBILs wird vorgestellt. Die Anwendung von RIBILs als Reaktionsmedium ist vorteilhaft, da sie bei geeigneter Wahl der Reaktanden eine besonders einfache Aufarbeitung erlaubt. Die Reaktion äquimolarer Mengen an aliphatischen Carbonsäuren und Alkoholen in N,N-Dimethyl-(hydroxymethylen)iminium-hydrogensulfat (DMF/H2SO4-Addukt) (20c) führt zu Carbonsäureestern, die sich aus dem Reaktionsgemisch als zweite Phase abscheiden.

Catalytic Oxidative Carbonylation of Amino Moieties to Ureas, Oxamides, 2-Oxazolidinones, and Benzoxazolones

The direct syntheses of ureas, oxamides, 2-oxazolidinones, and benzoxazolones by the oxidative carbonylation of amines, β-amino alcohols, and 2-aminophenols allows us to obtain high value added molecules, which have a large number of important applications in several fields, from very simple building blocks. We have found that it is possible to perform these transformations using the PdI2 /KI catalytic system in an ionic liquid, such as 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, as the solvent, the solvent/catalyst system can be recycled several times with only a slight loss of activity, and the product can be recovered easily by crystallization.

Synthesis of cyclic carbonates from CO2 and epoxides using ionic liquids and related catalysts including choline chloride–metal halide mixtures

In this mini-review, progress made in the use of ionic liquid catalysts and related systems for cycloaddition reactions of carbon dioxide with epoxides is described with the primary focus on results from the past eight years.

A recyclable palladium-catalyzed synthesis of 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-3-ols by cycloisomerization of 2-(1-hydroxyprop-2-ynyl)phenols in ionic liquids

A recyclable palladium-catalyzed synthesis of 2-methylene-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-3-ols 2 by heterocyclization of 2-(1-hydroxyprop-2-ynyl)phenols 1 in an ionic liquid medium (BmimBF4) is presented. The process takes place under relatively mild conditions (100 °C, 5 h) in the presence of catalytic amounts (2 mol %) of PdI2 in conjunction with KI (5 equiv with respect to PdI2) and an organic base, such as morpholine (1 equiv with respect to 1), to give 2 in high yields (70%-86%). The PdI2-KI catalytic system could be recycled up to six times without appreciable loss of activity. Moreover, products 2 could be easily converted in a one-pot fashion into 2-hydroxymethylbenzofurans 3 (52%-71%, based on 1) and 2-methoxymethylbenzofurans 4 (52%-80%, based on 1) by acid-catalyzed allylic isomerization or allylic nucleophilic substitution.