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New class of materials accelerate chemical processes

A new class of solvents enhances chemical process engineering. Ionic Liquids make catalysts which accelerate and enhance chemical processes more effective and accelerate chemical processes themselves.

Aachen. Researchers of the RWTH Aachen are developing a new class of materials that give new impulses for the production and purification of chemicals, fuels and pharmaceuticals. Due to so-called Ionic Liquids transition-metal-catalysts get in a state of increased activity making chemical processes run much easier and more effective.

Chemists and engineers are equally enthusiastic about the perspective to combine the qualities of the solvent just as desired for a special process. Skillful choice of cations and anions allows a change of the physical and chemical qualities of the new solvents in a broad range.

The researchers at the "Institut für Technische Chemie und Makromolekulare Chemie" have demonstrated that the new solvents are capable of solving a special catalysator very well. They activate it on the one hand and are a good solvent for the educts or the products at the other hand. "That's new. With usual organic solvents or water that is impossible", Peter Wasserscheid, leader of the Researchgroup in Aachen emphasizes. The chemist is sure, that by optimizing the qualities it should be possible to improve the activity and stability of catalysts even in big technical productionplants, to increase the profit and to minimize the necessary amount of catalyst by repeated use. Often the processes will be simplified significantly, single steps of the processes can be let out.

The title "Ionic Liquids" names the essential qualities of the new materials: They are liquid - often transparent and more viscous than water- and consist of Ions, that means of positive and negative loaded molecules, similar to molten salts. But different to these the new compounds are liquid below 100°C and can therefore be used in a lot of chemical reactions . The low melting point can be achieved by choosing large Ions for the production of Ionic Liquids, especially organic nitrogen compounds and halogen compounds.

A first industrial use of Ionic Liquids is possible already. The "Insitut Français du Petrol" (IFP) has offered his catalytic "Difasol-Prozess" to be licensed. In this process the educts of softeners are made. But for the most applications ionic liquids are still in the research-status. To give an example the removal of sulfur compounds from diesel-oil with ionic liquids is investigated.    

A further field of application for the new solvents is biocatalysis. Researchers at the University of Rostock have been able to show that Ionic Liquids are not toxic for enzymes from nature, but encourage these to more efficiency. The leader of the Researchgroup in Rostock, Udo Kragl is sure, that with the help of Ionic Liquids enzymes can better be adapted to the conditions of industrial production and the use of enzymes can be made more profitable. Litlle resaerch has been done concerning the potential of a toxic effect on humans so far.

In spite of the great number of variations Ionic Liquids have one quality in common: The vapor pressure is insignificant. Loss by vapour pressure like in organic compounds does not exist.

Due to this the economical and security problems are little, the researchers say. Also the fact that volatile products can easily be distilled from the solvent and that the catalysts can be reused is favourable from the researchers point of view.

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