Ionic liquids

Abstract

Ionic liquids (ILs) emerged as a greener alternative to conventional organic solvents thanks to their low volatility and flammability and their wide liquid-state window. These solvents have demonstrated special features that have found a broad application in analytical sample preparation. In particular, ILs are tunable and can be adapted to extract a given analyte by the proper selection of their constituent ions. This chapter provides a general overview of the potential of ILs in the (micro)extraction context, starting from the description of neat or conventional ILs, which allows explaining the main properties and benefits of these solvents. The chapter will also cover other relevant ILs-based materials like magnetic ionic liquids (MILs) and polymeric ILs (PILs). The content of this chapter is intentionally asymmetrical to give a current picture of the field since not all the materials are equally developed. For example, conventional ILs have a larger story, and therefore the main milestones and general applications are mentioned. On the contrary, more specific information about MILs and PILs is presented.