Furan containing ammonium salts from furfural: synthesis and properties evaluation

Furan-containing quaternary ammonium iodides, bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimides, and tetrafluoroborates are obtained in good overall yield with mild operation conditions starting from furfural, a cheap chemical substance obtainable from crop residue feedstocks. The application of these new ion pairs can be envisioned in the fields of ionic liquid solvents, of surfactants and of biocides in analogy with benzyl quaternary ammonium salts. In view of practical applications, the determination of the thermal properties of new ion pairs together with preliminary ecotoxicological evaluation of some representative products has also been performed.