From Solvent to Sustainable Catalysis - Chloroferrate Ionic Liquids in Synthesis

During the past few years, Lewis-acidic ionic liquids (ILs) have emerged from their role as mere reaction media toward a role as novel catalytic systems. Iron-containing chloroferrate ionic liquids in particular offer a novel approach to sustainable and environmentally benign catalysis and can be applied in a surprising diversity of transformations. In this review, we present this emerging topic and report the application of chloroferrate ILs as solvents, catalysts or catalytic systems for a variety of chemical processes, with a particular focus on reactions leading to pharmaceutically active compounds or intermediates.