Within the framework of green chemistry, solvents occupy a strategic place. To be qualified as a green medium, these solvents have to meet different criteria such as availability, non-toxicity, biodegradability, recyclability, flammability, and low price among others. Up to now, the number of available green solvents are rather limited. Here we wish to discuss a new family of ionic fluids, so-called Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES), that are now rapidly emerging in the current literature. A DES is a fluid generally composed of two or three cheap and safe components that are capable of self-association, often through hydrogen bond interactions, to form a eutectic mixture with a melting point lower than that of each individual component. DESs are generally liquid at temperatures lower than 100 °C. These DESs exhibit similar physico-chemical properties to the traditionally used ionic liquids, while being much cheaper and environmentally friendlier. Owing to these remarkable advantages, DESs are now of growing interest in many fields of research. In this review, we report the major contributions of DESs in catalysis, organic synthesis, dissolution and extraction processes, electrochemistry and material chemistry. All works discussed in this review aim at demonstrating that DESs not only allow the design of eco-efficient processes but also open a straightforward access to new chemicals and materials.

Deep eutectic solvents: syntheses, properties and applications

The stability of two-dimensional (2D) layers and membranes is subject of a long standing theoretical debate. According to the so called Mermin-Wagner theorem, long wavelength fluctuations destroy the long-range order for 2D crystals. Similarly, 2D membranes embedded in a 3D space have a tendency to be crumpled. These dangerous fluctuations can, however, be suppressed by anharmonic coupling between bending and stretching modes making that a two-dimensional membrane can exist but should present strong height fluctuations. The discovery of graphene, the first truly 2D crystal and the recent experimental observation of ripples in freely hanging graphene makes these issues especially important. Beside the academic interest, understanding the mechanisms of stability of graphene is crucial for understanding electronic transport in this material that is attracting so much interest for its unusual Dirac spectrum and electronic properties. Here we address the nature of these height fluctuations by means of straightforward atomistic Monte Carlo simulations based on a very accurate many-body interatomic potential for carbon. We find that ripples spontaneously appear due to thermal fluctuations with a size distribution peaked around 70 \AA which is compatible with experimental findings (50-100 \AA) but not with the current understanding of stability of flexible membranes. This unexpected result seems to be due to the multiplicity of chemical bonding in carbon.

Intrinsic ripples in graphene

Iron Catalysis in Organic Synthesis

In recent years, tools for the development of new drugs have been dramatically improved. These include genomic and proteomic research, numerous biophysical methods, combinatorial chemistry and screening technologies. In addition, early ADMET studies are employed in order to significantly reduce the failure rate in the development of drug candidates. As a consequence, the lead finding, lead optimization and development process has gained marked enhancement in speed and efficiency. In parallel to this development, major pharma companies are increasingly outsourcing many components of drug discovery research to biotech companies. All these measures are designed to address the need for a faster time to market. New screening methodologies have contributed significantly to the efficiency of the drug discovery process. The conventional screening of single compounds or compound libraries has been dramatically accelerated by high throughput screening methods. In addition, in silico screening methods allow the evaluation of virtual compounds. A wide range of new lead finding and lead optimization opportunities result from novel screening methods by NMR, which are the topic of this review article.

Drug Discovery Today

Low melting mixtures in organic synthesis – an alternative to ionic liquids?

Pd-based nanoparticles: Plant-assisted biosynthesis, characterization, mechanism, stability, catalytic and antimicrobial activities.

An operationally simple, practical, and economical protocol for iron(III) chloride catalyzed Paal-Knorr pyrrole synthesis in water in good to excellent yields has been developed. Several N-substituted pyrroles are readily prepared from the reaction of 2,5-dimethoxytetrahydrofuran and aryl/alkyl, sulfonyl and acyl amines under very mild reaction conditions.

Iron-Catalyzed Inexpensiveand Practical Synthesis of N-Substituted Pyrroles in Water

A simple, efficient and green protocol for the regioselective and chemoselective reduction of epoxides and carbonyl compounds, with sodium borohydride in natural deep eutectic in good to excellent yields, is described.

Natural deep eutectic salt promoted regioselective reduction of epoxides and carbonyl compounds

Lignin-derived (nano)materials for environmental pollution remediation: Current challenges and future perspectives

An operationally simple and entirely green protocol for the synthesis of thiourea derivatives by the reaction of carbon disulfide with primary amines in pure water is developed. This reaction is a highly atom-economic process for production of highly pure, hindered thioureas without any catalyst and tedious work-up.

Hossein Ghafuri

Papers

Pd-based nanoparticles: Plant-assisted biosynthesis, characterization, mechanism, stability, catalytic and antimicrobial activities.

Iron-Catalyzed Inexpensiveand Practical Synthesis of N-Substituted Pyrroles in Water

Natural deep eutectic salt promoted regioselective reduction of epoxides and carbonyl compounds

Lignin-derived (nano)materials for environmental pollution remediation: Current challenges and future perspectives

Toward a practical and waste-free synthesis of thioureas in water