Application of ionic liquids, emulsions, sonication, and microwave assistance

Electrochemical processes are predominantly heterogeneous in nature requiring mass transport and in some cases thermal reaction control. The need for special conditions in electrosynthesis is therefore intertwined with the control of the mechanism and linked either to the enhancement of reaction selectivity, conversion rate, or product yield. Increasingly however, it is also the search for green conditions that drives the exploration of special conditions [1]. For example, the use of excess solvents has long been regarded as detrimental to the environment, with an onus to reduce their quantity or replace them with less hazardous alternatives. It is for this reason that supercritical fluids and various types of room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) are receiving much attention in standard organic preparations as well as electrosynthesis.