Harnessing the Potential of Ionic Liquids in Science and Technology

Book Abstract

Ionic liquids are salts that have melting points around ambient temperature and unique characteristics, such as high solubility, extremely low volatility,incombustibility and low viscosity. Application of ionic liquids in wood processing technology has attracted attention and is expected to promote further use of wood.They are effective as wood-preserving agents to enhance decay-resistance and also improve fire resistance of wood. The effective separation of these components is essential for chemical use of wood, and ionic liquid treatment thus has potential as an enabling technique in biorefineries. Moreover, ionic liquids induce depolymerization of solubilized wood polymers, which may be applicable to the production of useful chemicals from wood polymers such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The book highlights current endeavors that employ ionic liquids in developing technologies. As new ionic liquids being synthesized, unique properties are discovered and then applied to new applications. The reverse is also true, where the stringent requirements of some applications force the discovery of new compounds. On the molecular level,the synthesis of ionic liquids containing conventional alkyl imidazolium, ammonium,and phosphonium cations have led to the development of task-specific cations with tailored functionalization or completely new organic cations or anions with ever increasing applicability. The most salient features of ionic liquids are their low melting points, charged nature, and non-volatility.