Towards an Understanding of the "Ambiphilic" Character of Ionic Liquids for Green Synthesis of Chemically Diverse Architectures

For over a decade, ionic liquids have been recognized as green solvents and/or catalysts in the chemical world owing to their unique physical/chemical properties resulting in a diverse range of chemical and biochemical transformations. One of the striking features of ionic liquids is their ability to act as an ambiphilic catalyst i. e. dual electrophilic-nucleophilic activation of the substrate. The complex interplay of hydrogen bonding, Coulomb and Van-der Waals interactions between the cationic and anionic part of ionic liquid imparts this ambiphilicity to the ionic liquid. Notably, the present review highlights the channelization of this ambiphic characteristic for various organic synthesis along with the understanding of the mechanism involved. Thus, the better understanding of the ambiphilic character of ionic liquid may open a new perspective of ionic liquid research and their use may trigger many unprecedented reactions which otherwise are tedious or complex.