The Effects Of Cation-Anion Interaction On The Toxic Properties Of Ionic Liquids

This report is about the study on the toxicity of ionic liquids. Ionic liquids are low melting point organic salts that have become increasingly attractive as green solvents for industrial applications. The reputation of these solvents as “environmentally friendly” chemicals is based primarily on their negligible vapour pressure. However, it is important to remember that not all ionic liquids are environmentally benign and less toxic. Some of the ionic liquids might be dangerous to deal with it and can cause adverse effects. Fish acute toxicity test can be used to identify and prove that ionic liquids are actually toxic. In this project, the scope is mainly about the test (fish acute toxicity test), which is conducted to identify ionic liquids that are considered as toxic, and measure it’s toxicity towards Guppy fish (Poecilia reticulata). This test is based on OECD guideline 203. The fish are exposed to the test substance (ionic liquids) preferably for a period of 96 hours. Mortalities are recorded at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours and the concentrations which kill 50 per cent of the fish (LC50) are determined. At the same time, the interaction between the cation and anion that could really affects the toxicity of ionic liquids are also studied in this project. From the test, some ionic liquids are proven to be toxic to aquatic life (guppy fish) and the results clearly reveal that ionic liquids may cause a completely different effect on guppy fish according to their chemical structure which is the interaction between the cation and anion of the ionic liquids.