Room temperature ionic liquids as novel media for ‘clean’ liquid–liquid extraction

The partitioning of simple, substituted-benzene derivatives between water and the room temperature ionic liquid, butylmethylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, is based on the solutes’ charged state or relative hydrophobicity; room temperature ionic liquids thus may be suitable candidates for replacement of volatile organic solvents in liquid–liquid extraction processes.