A deep eutectic solvent or DES is a type of ionic solvent with special properties composed of a mixture which forms a eutectic with a melting point much lower than either of the individual components. The first generation eutectic solvents were based on mixtures of quaternary ammonium salts with hydrogen donors such as amines and carboxylic acids. The deep eutectic phenomenon was first described in 2003 for a 2 to 1 by mole mixture of choline chloride (2-hydroxyethyl-trimethylammonium chloride) and urea. Choline chloride has a melting point of 302 °C and that of urea is 133 °C. The eutectic mixture however melts as low as -12 °C. From ancient Greece (Ionic) An Ionian is a member of one of the four great divisions of the ancient Greek people. ... A solvent is a liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. ... A eutectic or eutectic mixture is a mixture of two or more elements which has a lower melting point than any of its constituents. ... The melting point of a solid is the temperature at which it changes state from solid to liquid. ... Quaternary ammonium cation. ... A magnified crystal of a salt (halite/sodium chloride) In chemistry, a salt is any ionic compound composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. ... In chemistry a hydrogen donor is any chemical compound that has a hydrogen atom available for chemical interaction. ... Ammonia Amines are organic compounds and a type of functional group that contain nitrogen as the key atom. ... Structure of a carboxylic acid Carboxylic acids are organic acids characterized by the presence of a carboxyl group, which has the formula -C(=O)-OH, usually written as COOH. In general, the salts and anions of carboxylic acids are called carboxylates. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The mole (symbol: mol) is one of the seven SI base units and is commonly used in chemistry. ... Choline chloride or N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)trimethylammonium chloride is an organic compound and a quaternary ammonium salt. ... Urea is an organic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, with the formula CON2H4 or (NH2)2CO. Urea is also known as carbamide, especially in the recommended International Non-proprietary Names (rINN) in use in Europe. ... The degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. ... The degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. ... The degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. ...

This DES is able to dissolve many metal salts like lithium chloride (solubility 2.5 mol/L) and copper(II) oxide (solubility 0.12 mol/L). In this capacity these solvents are applied in metal cleaning for electroplating. Because the solvent is conductive it also has a potential application in electropolishing. Organic compounds such as benzoic acid (solubility 0.82 mol/L) also have great solubility and this even includes cellulose (filtration paper!). Compared to ordinary solvents, eutectic solvents also have a very low VOC and are non-flammable. Other deep eutectic solvents of choline chloride are formed with malonic acid at 0 °C, phenol at -40 °C and glycerol at -35 °C. Compared to ionic liquids which share many charactistics but are ionic compounds and not ionic mixtures, deep eutectic solvents are cheaper to make, much less toxic and sometimes biodegradable. Hot metal work from a blacksmith In chemistry, a metal (Greek: Metallon) is an element that readily forms ions (cations) and has metallic bonds, and metals are sometimes described as a lattice of positive ions (cations) in a cloud of electrons. ... For other meanings of the word salt see table salt or salt (disambiguation). ... Lithium chloride behaves as a fairly typical ionic compound, although the Li+ ion is very small. ... A substance is soluble in a fluid if it dissolves in that fluid. ... The mole and its simple conversions into different units of measurements. ... The litre (spelled litre in Commonwealth English and liter in American English) is a unit of volume. ... Copper(II) oxide Copper(II) oxide or cupric oxide (CuO) is the higher oxide of copper. ... Electroplating is the coating of an electrically conductive item with a layer of metal using electrical current. ... En [ [ ciencia ] ] y [ [ ingeniería ] ], los conductores son los materiales de los cuales contenga las cargas movibles [ [ electricidad ] ]. Cuando una diferencia potencial eléctrica se impresiona a través de puntos separados en un conductor, las cargas móviles dentro del conductor se fuerzan para moverse, y una corriente eléctrica entre esos puntos aparece... Electropolishing, sometimes called reverse electroplating, is an electrochemical process which polishes a metal surface by removing a microscopic amount of material from the work piece. ... An organic compound is any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon, with the exception of carbides, carbonates, carbon oxides and gases containing carbon. ... Flash point 121°C (394 K) R/S statement R: , S: RTECS number DG0875000 Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Cellulose (C6H10O5)n is a long-chain polymer polysaccharide carbohydrate, of beta-glucose. ... Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapour pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere. ... Malonic acid (from Latin malum = apple) (1,3-propanedioic acid) is a dicarboxylic acid with structure CH2(COOH)2. ... The degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. ... Phenol, also known under the old name carbolic acid, is a colorless crystalline solid with a typical sweet tarry odor. ... The degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. ... ... The degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. ... An ionic liquid is a liquid that contains only ions. ... Toxic redirects here, but this is also the name of a song by Britney Spears; see Toxic (song) Look up toxic and toxicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Biodegradation is the decomposition of organic material by microorganisms. ...

External links

• Deep eutectics at www.rsc.org Website
• Commercial supplier

References

1. ^  Novel solvent properties of choline chloride/urea mixtures Andrew P. Abbott, Glen Capper, David L. Davies, Raymond K. Rasheed, Vasuki Tambyrajah Chemical Communications, 2003, (1), 70 - 71 Graphic abstract
2. ^  Deep Eutectic Solvents Formed between Choline Chloride and Carboxylic Acids: Versatile Alternatives to Ionic Liquids Abbott, A. P.; Boothby, D.; Capper, G.; Davies, D. L.; Rasheed, R. K.; J. Am. Chem. Soc.; 2004; 126(29); 9142-9147. Abstract