Facile synthesis of a chiral ionic liquid derived from 1-Phenylethylamine

A simple route is described to enantiomerically pure ionic liquids derived from (+)- and (–)-1-phenylethylamine. These very low melting point (–42°C) ionic liquids, containing the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonylimide) anion, possess a wide electrochemical potential window between –2.0 and +2.0 V (versus Ag|AgCl). They show chiral discrimination between the enantiomeric forms of Mosher’s salt, suggesting their potential as media for electrochemical asymmetric syntheses or chiral chromatography.