Tunable properties prompt the development of different “tailor-made” functional ionic liquids (FILs) for specific tasks. FILs with an ether group are good solvents for many organic compounds and enzymatic reactions. However, ionic composition influences the solubility by affecting the physiochemical properties of these FILs. To address the structure effect, a series of novel FILs with a mono-ether group (ME) based on imidazole were prepared through cationic functionalization and anionic exchange reactions, and characterized by NMR, mass spectroscopy, and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The effect of ionic composition (cationic structure and anions) on density, viscosity, ionic conductivity, electrochemical window, and thermal properties of these ME-FILs were systematically investigated. In general, the viscosity and heat capacity increases with the bigger cationic volume of ME-FILs; in particular, the 2-alkyl substitution of imidazolium enhances the viscosity remarkably, whereas the density and conductivity decrease on the condition of the same [NTf₂]⁻ anion; For these ME-FILs with the same cations, the density follows the order of [NTf₂]⁻ > [PF₆]⁻ > [BF₄]⁻. The viscosity follows the order of [PF₆]⁻ > [BF₄]⁻ > [NTf₂]⁻. Ion conductivity follows the order of [NTf₂]⁻ ≈ [BF₄]⁻ > [PF₆]⁻. It is noted that the dynamic density has a good linear relationship with the temperature, and the slopes are the same for all ME-FILs. Furthermore, these ME-FILs have broad electrochemical windows and glass transition temperatures in addition to a cold crystallization and a melt temperature for ME-FIL7. Therefore, the cationic structure and counter anion affect the physicochemical properties of these ME-FILs together.

Three kinds of hydrophobic/acidic bifunctional ionic liquids were synthesized and utilized as catalysts for the conversion of cellulosic saccharides into alkyl glucosides, which exhibit a high catalytic conversion for cellobiose and cellulose with a low degree of crystallinity; the catalyst can be easily recovered and reused.

A novel oxidative cross-coupling reaction for the synthesis of α-aryl α-amino ketones in the presence of palladium catalysts using T⁺BF₄⁻ as an oxidant has been developed.