A Facile Route to C2-Substituted Imidazolium Ionic Liquids

A convenient route for the preparation of C2-substituted imidazolium ionic liquids is reported. This method involves the alkylation of N-heterocyclic carbenes, which are readily generated from the C2-unsubstituted imidazolium ionic liquids. It works well for non-functionalized alkyl chlorides, and less well for alkyl bromides and iodides, likely due to competing elimination reactions. The resulting C2-substituted salts can be transformed into ionic liquids via standard anion metathesis reactions.