Ionic
liquids have gained meanwhile a worldwide interest as promising solvents
for a variety of processes in chemistry, physics and engineering. This
variety is on the one hand due to the enormous variety of ionic liquids
(at least 109 different liquids should be feasible), on the
other hand ionic liquids have quite fascinating properties: many of the
hitherto known ionic liquids have vapour pressures around 10-11-
10-10 bar at room temperature. In fact this is negligible and
as a consequence ionic liquids have no smell. Even at elevated temperatures
the vapour pressure is that small that they can usually not be distilled
at reasonable rates. Distillation would be a highly welcome routine for
purification as purity is still one of the major concerns. There are other
remarkable properties such as wide electrochemical windows (~ ±3
Volt vs. NHE), wide thermal windows (~ -50°C - +250°C) and varying
cation-anion interactions that make ionic liquids extremely interesting
for fundamental research. There is a rising nurnber of publications now
demonstrating that anions or cations can influence chemical and physicochemical
reactions. The solubility of chemical compounds can be totally different
if just the cation of an ionic liquid is different. The electrodeposition
of metals and semiconductors can be tuned from microcrystalline to nanocrystalline
just by varying the cation. Variation of the anion can lead to nanocrystalline
anatase or nanocrystalline rutile. Chiral ionic liquids can influence
the reaction pathway of a chemical reaction. Solvated electrons behave
different in different ionic environments, and so on. It is likely that
new processes can be developed where just by variation of the cations
or anions of ionic liquids different products are achievable. This International
Bunsen Discussion Meeting, which is in cooperation with the DFG priority
program SPP1191- Ionic Liquids has the aim to shed more light on these
effects and to discuss these effects. It is planned to have a special
issue of a peer-reviewed journal on the topic of this meeting.
The program of this meeting will consist of invited and contributed talks and posters.
The following people have agreed to give plenary lectures:
- Prof. Dr. Ken Seddon, QUILL, Belfast, UK
- Prof. Dr. Robin Rogers, QUILL, Belfast, UK
- Prof. Dr. Hiroyuki Ohno, Tokyo, Japan
- Prof. Dr. Yasushi Katayama, Keio, Japan
- Prof. Dr. Ralf Ludwig, Rostock, Germany
- Prof. Dr. Steven Baldelli, Houston, USA
