BOOK REVIEW pubs.acs.org/JACS
Book Review of Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids: Never the Twain? Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids: Never the Twain? Edited by Marcelle Gaune-Escard (Ecole Polytechnnique, Marseille, France) and Kenneth R. Seddon (The Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast, U.K.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, NJ. 2010. xxii þ 442 pp. $132. ISBN 978-0471-77392-4.
This collection of 26 chapters features an Editorial by Seddon, which begins with a passage from Rudyard Kipling’s poem, The Ballad of East and West—“Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet ...”—to illustrate and bemoan the split between the molten salt and ionic liquids communities. Like Kipling, Gaune-Escard and Seddon see more similarities than differences between the two groups and consider the different perspectives and birthrights within the two fields in the context of the first conjoined conference in 2006. The report from this EUCHEM event in Tunisia brought together 53 international leaders and contributors from the many points of the figurative and literal compasses to discuss the multifaceted chemistries of molten salts and ionic liquids and to look for the chemical overlap among the common challenges. There are several chapters on the history and fundamentals of molten salts and ionic liquids. It is common knowledge that Faraday was the first scientist to systematically evaluate the electrolysis of molten salts in the 1830s, although others were aware of the value of liquid electrolytes before this time. Johnson provides a fabulous introduction to molten salts in the context of electrochemical processes. From his descriptions, we can appreciate that molten salts act as solvents for reactions (as either a passive bystander or a reactive participant), improve the chemical or physical mixing of reactants, and provide a valuable electrolyte that supports electrochemical reactions. Angell’s opening chapter comingles the physical chemical descriptions of ionic liquids and molten salts and reminds us of Davy’s experiments in molten salts that led to the isolation of potassium metal, among other important early discoveries about the nature of molten salts. Although the book comprises many valuable contributions from notable authors in the fields, the organization of the individual works into a comprehensive compendium is lacking. I appreciate that the editors were attempting to bring many different opinions together without the traditional boundaries; however, I expected more structure to the book. Several chapters were introductions to the physical or chemical properties of the liquids whereas others were very specific to a given chemistry, technique, or evaluative tool. Bundling these into specific sections within the book would have made it more readable and the overall flow of the work more easily appreciated. Several chapters consisted of abridged reviews of prior work, with bibliographies rich with historic perspectives and valuable insights. Other chapters focused on recent state-of-the-art techniques and thus are very timely as primary resources for topics, such as pyroprocessing of nuclear waste or spectroscopic analyses of ionic liquids. r 2011 American Chemical Society
Overall, this book is a brilliant first attempt at bringing disparate views about apparently different chemical systems together under one roof or, using the Kipling metaphor, onto one field of battle. It is not clear why, given the importance of the subject matter, it has taken so long to complete—two EUCHEMs meetings have been held since, and I await their compendia with anticipation and hope. Peter K. Dorhout Colorado State University
10.1021/ja2035283
Published: April 27, 2011 7620
dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja2035283 | J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 7620–7620
