New organic solvents based on carbohydrates

Nature provides a vast new vista of opportunities for the preparation of new recyclable solvents. Natural compounds have been recently used to prepare the cationic or anionic moiety of room temperature ionic liquids. In many cases, these new solvents based on modification of natural products contain chiral centres and/or specific functional groups. This paper is an overview in an area of research that is destined to a rapid development and expansion.