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Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) consist of a mixture of two or more solid components, which gives rise to a lower melting point compared to the starting materials. Until recently only hydrophilic DESs were available, and despite their revolutionary role in the alternative‐solvents field, important issues in chemistry, and chemical engineering (such as water‐related problems and the replacement of toxic volatile organic compounds) could not be tackled. Hydrophobic (deep)—here in parenthesis due to the different depths of the eutectic melting points—eutectic solvents are a subclass of DESs where both components are hydrophobic. The low toxicity, high biodegradability, and straightforward preparation without further purification steps of naturally occurring low‐cost compounds are among the key advantages. Although research on hydrophobic DESs is scarce (the first report was only published in 2015), some interesting features and applications have been reported and deserve to be evaluated and comparisons established. This Minireview is divided into two parts: The first part provides a brief general introduction to DESs and the second part discusses the nomenclature using solid–liquid phase diagram analysis, chemical stability, thermophysical properties comparison, and finally the most important emerging fields of application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A supramolecular hydrogel based on a metal-containing deep eutectic solvent (DES) is presented here for the first time. The phase diagram of the DES-based hydrogel was drawn and its rheological properties were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To advance the ionic liquid (IL) platform to tailor fluorinated surfactant properties, the aim of this work is to evaluate the surfactant properties of cholinium-based salts bearing perfluoroalkanoate anions. Novel surfactant ILs containing the cholinium cation [Ch]+ combined with different perfluoroalkanoate anions, namely perfluoropentanoate [PFPent]−, perfluorohexanoate [PFHex]−, perfluoroheptanoate [PFHept]−, and perfluorooctanoate [PFOct]−, were synthesized. The critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) were determined using an ionic conductivity method, at different temperatures. Thermodynamic parameters of micellization were also evaluated. The results indicate that the CMC value decreases in a linear manner with the increment of the fluoroalkyl chain length in the anion. The evaluation of the thermodynamic parameters shows that the micellization is spontaneous and entropically driven and that the enthalpy of micellization is very small. It was also observed that the introduction of the cholinium cation in these surfactants allows for smaller CMC values when compared to that of other tetraalkylammonium-based surfactants with the same fluorinated anions, in short to more efficient and green surfactants. This result is probably due to counterion association and not to counterion binding to micelle surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionic liquids have been explored as attractive alternative media for CO2 separation not only due to their low volatility but also due to their highly tuneable nature. Aiming at designing highly efficient liquid phases for flue gas separation and natural gas purification, this work focuses on the use of binary ionic liquid mixtures containing sulfate and/or cyano-functionalized anions. Several mixtures were prepared and their gas transport properties through supported ionic liquid membranes (SILMs) were investigated. The thermophysical properties of these mixtures, namely viscosity and density (data presented and discussed in ESI), were also measured so that trends between transport properties and thermophysical properties could be evaluated. The results obtained indicate that depending on the anions mixed, membranes with fine-tuned gas permeabilities, diffusivities and solubilities can be obtained. Additionally, SILMs prepared with these ionic liquid mixtures are on the upper bound of the CO2/N2 separation, or even may surpass it, indicating their potential for separating CO2 in low-pressure post-combustion processes. Overall, the use of ionic liquid mixtures combining the most selective anions with the least viscous anions is a highly promising strategy to design advanced engineered liquid phases for CO2 separation membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the development of novel antibiotics has been at a halt for several decades, chemically enhancing existing drugs is a very promising approach to drug development. Herein, we report the preparation of twelve organic salts and ionic liquids (OSILs) from ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin as anions with enhanced antimicrobial activity. Each one of the fluoroquinolones (FQs) was combined with six different organic hydroxide cations in 93–100% yield through a buffer-assisted neutralization methodology. Six of those were isomorphous salts while the remaining six were ionic liquids, with four of them being room temperature ionic liquids. The prepared compounds were not toxic to healthy cell lines and displayed between 47- and 1416-fold more solubility in water at 25 and 37 °C than the original drugs, with the exception of the ones containing the cetylpyridinium cation. In general, the antimicrobial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae was particularly enhanced for the ciprofloxacin-based OSILs, with up to ca. 20-fold decreases of the inhibitory concentrations in relation to the parent drug, while activity against Staphylococcus aureus and the commensal Bacillus subtilis strain was often reduced. Depending on the cation–drug combination, broad-spectrum or strain-specific antibiotic salts were achieved, potentially leading to the future development of highly bioavailable and safe antimicrobial ionic formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionic liquids have been explored as attractive alternative media for CO2 separation not only due to their low volatility but also due to their highly tuneable nature. Aiming at designing highly efficient liquid phases for flue gas separation and natural gas purification, this work focuses on the use of binary ionic liquid mixtures containing sulfate and/or cyano-functionalized anions. Several mixtures were prepared and their gas transport properties through supported ionic liquid membranes (SILMs) were investigated. The thermophysical properties of these mixtures, namely viscosity and density (data presented and discussed in ESI), were also measured so that trends between transport properties and thermophysical properties could be evaluated. The results obtained indicate that depending on the anions mixed, membranes with fine-tuned gas permeabilities, diffusivities and solubilities can be obtained. Additionally, SILMs prepared with these ionic liquid mixtures are on the upper bound of the CO2/N2 separation, or even may surpass it, indicating their potential for separating CO2 in low-pressure post-combustion processes. Overall, the use of ionic liquid mixtures combining the most selective anions with the least viscous anions is a highly promising strategy to design advanced engineered liquid phases for CO2 separation membranes.