Environmental impact assessment of dicationic ionic liquids with ammonium-phosphonium cations and amino acid anions.

Progress in the development of biodegradable or biobased ionic liquids (ILs) has led to the design of green compounds for several applications. Herein, four biocompatible dicationic ionic liquids (DILs) with ammonium-phosphonium cations and amino acid anions were synthesized and investigated their environmental impact. The structures of the DILs were confirmed by spectral analyses (1H, 13C and 31P NMR). Furthermore, physicochemical properties such as density, viscosity and refractive index were determined. Water content, bromide content and solubility were thereafter determined as the parameters needed for further studies. Subsequently, their antifeedant activity towards economically important pests of grain in storage warehouses: the granary weevil, the confused flour beetle, and the khapra beetle was examined, showing the dependence on structure. Moreover, selected DILs were investigated for toxicity towards white mustard, Daphnia magna , and Artemia franciscana to specify the environmental impact. These studies were complemented by understand the biodegradation of DILs by bacterial communities derived from soil at the agricultural land. The result was DILs with limited environmental footprints that have great potential for further application studies. [Display omitted] • A novel approach to synthesizing dicationic ionic liquids with ammonium-phosphonium cation was presented. • Spectral analysis (1H, 13C, and 31P NMR) was used to characterize the structure of the synthesized dicationic ionic liquids. • Ecotoxicological assessment of the impact of dicationic ionic liquids on storage pests, plant, and crustaceans was carried out. • The biodegradability of dicationic ionic liquids was investigated to assess their influence in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]