[1] Deep eutectic solvents are highly tunable through varying the structure or relative ratio of parent components and thus have a wide variety of potential applications including catalytic, separation, and electrochemical processes.
[3] The extent of freezing point depression observed in DESs is well illustrated by a mixture of choline chloride and urea in a 1:2 mole ratio.
[1] In contrast to ordinary solvents, such as volatile organic compounds, DESs are non-flammable, and possess low vapour pressures and toxicity.
[5] Traditional eutectic solvents are mixtures of quaternary ammonium salts with hydrogen bond donors such as amines and carboxylic acids.
[8] Wide spread practical use of DESs in industrial process or devices has thus far been hindered by relatively high viscosities and low ionic conductivities.
Additionally, lack of understanding of the relationship between parent compound structure and solvent function has prevented development of general design rules.
[11][12] Work done by Choi, Spronsen et al.[11] showed that water can be present as part of the solvent, being strongly retained in the liquid and which cannot be evaporated.
[22] Incorporating microwave heating with deep eutectic solvent can efficiently increase the solubility power of DES and reduce the time required for complete dissolution of biological samples at atmospheric pressure.