Dissolution and Transformation of Carbohydrates in Ionic Liquids

Carbohydrates have a high number of hydroxyl groups, which makes them preferentially soluble in water, although this solvent is not always the most suitable. Polar organic solvents, such as pyridine, dimethylsulfoxide and dimethyformamide, are the few solvents able to dissolve carbohydrates however they have a higher impact in the environment and provide a less efficient solvent media due to deactivation in biocatalysis, for instance. A way to overcome these problems is to use Ionic Liquids (ILs). Data suggest that ILs can be acceptable solvents for carbohydrate dissolution and that they lead to higher yield and more selective reactions. In this review, we will focus mainly on monosaccharide dissolution and functional transformation, despite some references to polysaccharides, as an attempt to demonstrate ILs can be a suitable media for carbohydrate chemistry.