Abstract

Organic reactions have usually been carried out in solvent medium. Recently, a new class of solvent has emerged and they are called ionic liquids. These solvents are often liquid at room temperature and consist of ionic species. They possess attractive properties such as negligible vapor pressure, excellent chemical and thermal stability, potential recoverability and recyclability. Ionic liquids are being intensively investigated and applications such as organic synthesis, enzymatic catalysis, separation processes, etc. were found. This review gives an overview about the ionic liquids.