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Ionic liquids (ILs) have been extensively used in drug formulation and delivery as designer solvents and other components because of their inherent tunability and useful physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties. ILs can be used to manage some of the operational and functional challenges of drug delivery, including drug solubility, permeability, formulation instability, and in vivo systemic toxicity, that are associated with conventional organic solvents/agents. Furthermore, ILs have been recognized as potential solvents to address the polymorphism, limited solubility, poor permeability, instability, and low bioavailability of crystalline drugs. In this account, we discuss the technological progress and strategies toward designing biocompatible ILs and explore potential biomedical applications, namely the solubilization of small and macromolecular drugs, the creation of active pharmaceutical ingredients, and the delivery of pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their superior stability and facile handling, ionic polymers have limited solubility in most organic solvents, restricting the range of substrates and reaction conditions to which they can be applied. To overcome this solubility issue, the present study presents a solvent‐free mechanochemical reaction. Specifically, a post‐polymerization modification of ammonium‐functionalized polyether was demonstrated using a solvent‐free vibrational ball‐milling technique. The formation of imine bonds between the ionic polymer and an aromatic aldehyde led to the complete conversion to imine within 1 h without any bond breakage on the polymer backbone. The viability of this approach for a wide range of aldehydes was also evaluated, highlighting the potential of the mechanochemical post‐polymerization modification of polymers that are inaccessible by conventional solution approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic synthesis without an organic solvent is still the exception. In this microreview, we discuss and compare different synthetic methods that proceed in the absence of conventional organic solvents. This includes solvent‐free methods in solids (mechanochemistry and solid‐state photochemistry), and in neat liquids (thermal and photocatalytic), as well as the application of unconventional solvents, such as ionic liquids and deep‐eutectic solvents. The different approaches are briefly introduced and examples illustrate their specific advantages, followed by a critical discussion of their limitations. Some methods have the intrinsic benefits of solvent‐free operation, such as avoiding solubility problems and side‐reactions with the solvent. However, every method has specific advantages and the demand of the synthetic application is crucial for selecting the best technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]