Polyether-substituted thiazolium ionic liquid catalysts – a thermoregulated phase-separable catalysis system for the Stetter reaction

A series of polyether-substituted thiazolium ionic liquids have been synthesized and used as catalysts in the Stetter reaction. The ionic liquids are a thermoregulated phase-separable catalysis (TPSC) system, because they possess the properties of critical solution temperature (CST) and inverse temperature-dependent solubility in toluene–heptane. The results showed that the novel TPSC system exhibits high recycling efficiency, and provides a potential route for a environmentally benign Stetter reaction.