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A study of the ionic liquid mediated microwave heating of organic solvents
Nicholas E Leadbeater1, Hanna M Torenius
1Department of Chemistry, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK. nicholas.leadbeater@kcl.ac.uk nicholas.leadbeater@kcl.ac.uk
The Journal of Organic Chemistry
|April 27, 2002
Abstract:
The use of ionic liquids as aids for microwave heating of nonpolar solvents has been investigated. We show that hexane and toluene together with solvents such as THF and dioxane can be heated way above their boiling point in sealed vessels using a small quantity of an ionic liquid, thereby allowing them to be used as media for microwave-assisted chemistry. Using the appropriate ionic liquid, the heating can be performed with no contamination of the solvent. To show the applicability of the system, two test reactions have been successfully performed.