Question

Advantages of ionic liquids over other solvents in friedel craft’s reaction

Answer 1

An ionic liquid is a salt in which the ions are poorly coordinated, which results in these solvents being liquid below 100°C, or even at room temperature.

One advantage of using ionic liquids in Friedel-Crafts acylation reactions is the enhanced reaction rates, conversion, and selectivity.

In the Friedel-Crafts-type of reactions, like in the insertion reaction of acetylene with acid chlorides using , chloroaluminate ionic liquids, the use of ionic liquids not only serves to avoid the use of carbon tetrachloride or 1,2-dichloroethane but also suppresses side reactions, and enables a simpler purification procedure, giving a range of aromatic and aliphatic β-chlorovinyl ketones in high yield and purity.

Although the reaction rates, the conversion, and the selectivity for the acylation in ionic liquids are high, the separation of aryl ketone products from ionic liquids and the recycle of the ionic liquids are still a problem.