Synthesis of bis-2(ethylhexyl)ammonium based ionic liquids for the dissolution of cellulose

Over the last decade, Ionic Liquids (ILs) have been used for the dissolution of biomass. This ability of ILs is now sought for their application in the selective dissolution of biomass for the manufacturing of ethanol. However, there are significant knowledge gaps in understanding of the chemistry of the interaction of biomass and ILs. While imidazolium ILs have been used successfully in dissolution of biomass, bis-2(ethylhexyl)ammonium based ILs has not been explored for the biomass dissolution. Hence, this study reports on the synthesis of a novel ILs based on bis-2(ethylhexyl)ammonium cation with different types of anions. This project will consist of two phases.