Ricerc@Sapienza

The inherently amphiphilic nature of native cyclodextrins (CDs) determines their peculiar molecular encapsulation features, enabling applications such as targeted drug nanodelivery, aroma protection, etc. On the contrary, it may also lead to poor solubility in water and other organic solvents and to potentially detrimental flocking in these media, thus posing limitations to more extensive usage.

Protic ionic liquids (PIL) were prepared from a super-strong base 1,7-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) and super-strong acids, trifluoromethane sulfonic acid (TfOH), and (trifluoromethanesulfonyl)-(nonafluorobutylsulfonyl)imide, (IM14H), ([DBUH][TfO] and [DBUH][IM14], respectively; the latter for the first time) and their chemical and physical properties and structural features have been explored using a synergy of experimental and computational tools.