Eutectic-based ionic liquids with metal-containing anions and cations.

Eutectic mixtures of zinc chloride and donor molecules such as urea and acetamide are described and it is proposed that these constitute a new class of ionic liquids. FAB-MS analysis shows that the liquids are made up of metal-containing anions and cations in which the donor is coordinated to the cation. Data on the viscosity, conductivity, density, phase behaviour and surface tension are presented and these are shown to be significantly different to other related ionic liquids that incorporate quaternary ammonium salts. The conductivity and viscosity are comparable with other ionic liquids and the data fit well to the Hole theory model recently proposed.