
A critical review of the state of the art in catalysis in ionic liquids has recently appeared (Sheldon R, Chem Comm, 2001, 2399). The review points out the shortcomings as well as the often-mentioned advantages, so that the field can be put into perspective. Reactions covered include hydrogenation, hydroformylation, alkoxycarbonylation, olefin dimerisation/oligomerisation, Heck reactions, allylic substitutions, oxidations, Lewis and Brønsted acid catalysed reactions and biocatalysis. Despite the disadvantages, Sheldon's view is that ionic liquids hold considerable potential for industrial application.















