Probing the importance of ionic liquid structure: a general ionic liquid effect on an S(N)Ar process.

The effect of a range of ionic liquids, with systematic variations in the cation and anion, on the rate constant of an aromatic substitution process was investigated. Temperature-dependent kinetic data allowed calculation of activation parameters for the process in each solvent. These data demonstrate a generalised ionic liquid effect, with an increase in rate constant observed in each ionic solvent, though the microscopic origins of the rate constant enhancement differ with the nature of the ionic liquid.