Carbon dioxide in the liquid and supercritical fluid states is useful as a replacement for toxic organic solvents. However, nonvolatile hydrophilic substances such as proteins, ions, and most catalysts are insoluble. This limitation was overcome by the formation of aqueous microemulsion droplets in a carbon dioxide-continuous phase with a nontoxic ammonium carboxylate perfluoropolyether surfactant. Several spectroscopic techniques consistently indicated that the properties of the droplets approach those of bulk water. The protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) with a molecular weight of 67,000 is soluble in this microemulsion and experiences an environment similar to that of native BSA in buffer.

Within the last decade, ionic liquids have come to the fore as environmentally-responsible designer solvents. But what are ionic liquids and what can they offer the analytical scientist? This article addresses these questions and chronicles recent progress made in the application of ionic liquids toward analytical problem-solving. While further progress is required before ionic liquids become mainstream analytical solvents, results to date commend their use in various modes of chemical analysis. It is our aim that the findings reported herein draw other researchers into this area and encourage the increased application of ionic liquids in this manner.