Ionic liquids are salts that are liquid at low temperature (<100 degrees C) which represent a new class of solvents with nonmolecular, ionic character. Even though the first representative has been known since 1914, ionic liquids have only been investigated as solvents for transition metal catalysis in the past ten years. Publications to date show that replacing an organic solvent by an ionic liquid can lead to remarkable improvements in well-known processes. Ionic liquids form biphasic systems with many organic product mixtures. This gives rise to the possibility of a multiphase reaction procedure with easy isolation and recovery of homogeneous catalysts. In addition, ionic liquids have practically no vapor pressure which facilitates product separation by distillation. There are also indications that switching from a normal organic solvent to an ionic liquid can lead to novel and unusual chemical reactivity. This opens up a wide field for future investigations into this new class of solvents in catalytic applications.

Ionic Liquids-New "Solutions" for Transition Metal Catalysis.

Characterization and comparison of hydrophilic and hydrophobic room temperature ionic liquids incorporating the imidazolium cation

http://yaghi.berkeley.edu/pdfPublications/04MOFs.pdf

Metal-organic frameworks: a new class of porous materials

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is broadly recognised as having the potential to play a key role in meeting climate change targets, delivering low carbon heat and power, decarbonising industry and, more recently, its ability to facilitate the net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. However, despite this broad consensus and its technical maturity, CCS has not yet been deployed on a scale commensurate with the ambitions articulated a decade ago. Thus, in this paper we review the current state-of-the-art of CO2 capture, transport, utilisation and storage from a multi-scale perspective, moving from the global to molecular scales. In light of the COP21 commitments to limit warming to less than 2 °C, we extend the remit of this study to include the key negative emissions technologies (NETs) of bioenergy with CCS (BECCS), and direct air capture (DAC). Cognisant of the non-technical barriers to deploying CCS, we reflect on recent experience from the UK's CCS commercialisation programme and consider the commercial and political barriers to the large-scale deployment of CCS. In all areas, we focus on identifying and clearly articulating the key research challenges that could usefully be addressed in the coming decade.

/pdf/carbon-capture-and-storage-ccs-the-way-forward-11rgsqyer0.pdf

Carbon capture and storage (CCS): the way forward

Polycatenation, polythreading and polyknotting in coordination network chemistry

Synthesis of a wakayin model compound: Oxidative formation of a new pyrrole ring in the indol-3-yl-indoloquinone system

A series of air and water stable organic cation triiodide salts have been prepared and characterized. Almost all of the salts isolated sustain liquid clathrate phases in the presence of benzene or toluene, the compositions of which were determined via1H NMR spectroscopy. Two of the salts were also characterized via X-ray crystallography in order to determine the nature of any solid state interionic interactions (1-ethylpyridinium triiodide, monoclinic,P21/c,a = 9.6031(7),b = 15.129(3),c = 8.8160(16) A, β = 104.192(11)°,Z = 4,R = 0.041 for 2463 independent observed reflections; 1,2,4-trimethylpyridinium triiodide, orthorhombic,Pbcm,a = 9.434(4), 20.176(4), 7.411(4) A,Z = 4,R = 0.045 for 966 observed reflections).

Robin D. Rogers

Papers

Synthesis of a wakayin model compound: Oxidative formation of a new pyrrole ring in the indol-3-yl-indoloquinone system

Air stable liquid clathrates: Solid state structure and hydrocarbon solubility of organic cation triiodide salts

Lanthanides and actinides annual survey covering the year 1990

Triethylene glycol complexes of the early lanthanide(III) chlorides

Sterically crowded organometallics. Influence of complexation upon the conformation of hexakis(phenylethyl)benzene