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

The stereochemical course of the reactions of N-benzyl-2,3-azetidinedione with six differently functionalized allylic bromides, as promoted by indium metal in 1:1 H2O−THF, were initially examined. ...

Diastereo- and Enantiodifferentiation in Indium-Promoted Allylations of 2,3-Azetidinediones in Water. Definition of Long-Range Stereocontrol Elements on π-Facial Selectivity for β-Lactam Synthesis

Aqueous Biphasic Separations

Synthetic and structural studies on new vinylcyclopentadienyl derivatives of titanium, iron and thallium

The reaction of 1:1 stoichiometries (1:1.5 for the nitrate/tetraethylene glycol (EO4) and pentaethylene glycol (EO5) complexes) of PbX(2) (X = NO(3), Br) with five- to eight-donor poly(ethylene glycols) (PEGs) in 3:1 CH(3)CN/CH(3)OH (CH(3)CN only for the nitrate/EO5 complex) followed by solvent evaporation resulted in six crystalline materials upon which X-ray structural analyses were carried out: [Pb(NO(3))(2)(EO4)](n)(), [Pb(NO(3))(2)(EO5)], [Pb(NO(3))(2)(EO6)], [PbBr(EO5)(m-Br)PbBr(2)].H(2)O, [PbBr(NCMe)(EO6)](2)[PbBr(2)(EO6)][PbBr(3)](2), and [PbBr(EO7)][PbBr(3)]. The nitrates crystallize as tight ion pairs with the PEG ligands coordinating in an equatorial plane around the Pb(2+) ions. Because EO4 has only five oxygen donors, this complex exhibits steric unsaturation which is overcome by a monodentate interaction with a third nitrate anion that is also coordinated to a neighboring Pb(2+) ion. The six donors of EO5 coordinate in an equatorial plane resulting in a 10-coordinate complex with trans, twisted, bidentate nitrate anions. The seven-donor hexaethylene glycol (EO6) only uses six of its oxygen donors to coordinate Pb(2+). [Pb(NO(3))(2)(EO4)](n)() is monoclinic, P2(1)/c, with a = 7.902(3) A, b = 22.136(6) A, c = 8.910(2) A, beta = 90.96(3) degrees, and Z = 4. [Pb(NO(3))(2)(EO5)] is triclinic Po, with a = 9.332(3) A, b = 10.025(3) A, c = 11.688(4) A, alpha = 68.41(3) degrees, beta = 68.39(3) degrees, gamma = 68.58(3) degrees, and Z = 2. [Pb(NO(3))(2)(EO6)] is monoclinic P2(1)/c, with a = 16.289(4) A, b = 10.773(4) A, c = 12.329(4) A, beta = 106.77(2) degrees, and Z = 4. Lead(II) bromide complexes with PEGs tend to crystallize as PEG complexed cations with polymeric lead(II) bromide anions. In the EO5 complex, bromide anions in the polymer also coordinate to the PEG-wrapped Pb(2+) cations. The hexa- and heptaethylene glycol (EO6 and EO7, respectively) complexes contain discreet ions. In these halide complexes, EO7 is the only PEG to expand the Pb(2+) coordination number from eight to nine. [PbBr(EO5)(m-Br)PbBr(2)].H(2)O is triclinic Po, with a = 7.922(6) A,b = 15.802(9) A, c = 19.001(9) A, alpha = 73.19(8) degrees, beta = 88.91(9) degrees, gamma = 87.22(9) degrees, and Z = 4. [PbBr(NCMe)(EO6)](2)[PbBr(2)(EO6)][PbBr(3)](2) is monoclinic P2(1)/c, with a = 14.389(4) A, b = 31.931(9) A, c = 8.029(2) A, beta = 97.76(3) degrees, and Z = 2. [PbBr(EO7)][PbBr(3)] is monoclinic Cc, with a = 13.165(3) A, b = 24.732(5) A, c = 8.007(1) A, beta = 94.58(2) degrees, and Z = 4.

Structural Chemistry of Poly(ethylene glycol) Complexes of Lead(II) Nitrate and Lead(II) Bromide.

Aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) may be suitable for the separation of aromatic molecules in industrial and environmental settings; hence it is invaluable to have predictive models of partitioning behavior in these systems for design and evaluation purposes. In a continuing study of the partition of small aromatic organic molecules, the distribution of several relatively hydrophilic substituted benzene species is reported. The partitioning behavior of five charged substituted benzene species (phthalic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, benzoic acid, salicylic acid, and p-toluic acid) and one uncharged species (1,3-dinitrobenzene) has been studied in ABS prepared from stock solutions of 40% (w/w) PEG-2000 and increasing concentrations of four water-structuring salts [K3PO4, K2CO3, (NH4)2SO4, and NaOH]. Comparison has been made with published data on the partitioning of these solutes in 1-octanol/water biphasic systems. In general, the partition of these species may be understood in terms of the free energ...

Robin D. Rogers

Papers

Diastereo- and Enantiodifferentiation in Indium-Promoted Allylations of 2,3-Azetidinediones in Water. Definition of Long-Range Stereocontrol Elements on π-Facial Selectivity for β-Lactam Synthesis

Aqueous Biphasic Separations

Synthetic and structural studies on new vinylcyclopentadienyl derivatives of titanium, iron and thallium

Structural Chemistry of Poly(ethylene glycol) Complexes of Lead(II) Nitrate and Lead(II) Bromide.

Partitioning of aromatic molecules in aqueous biphasic systems