Patent ID: 7252791

Claim:
A process for employing the compound of Formula 1, (cation)(R′SO 4 ) Formula 1 comprising the step of: employing the compound as a solvent, or solvent additive in a chemical process; employing the compound as an extraction solvent for a material separation; or employing the compound as a heat carrier, or heat carrier additive in a heat exchange unit, wherein: R′ is selected from the group consisting of a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic or alicyclic, functionalized or non-functionalized alkyl radical with 3-36 carbon atoms, wherein R′ is optionally functionalized with one or more X groups; X is selected from the group consisting of an —OH, —OR″, —COOH, —COOR″, —NH 2 , —SO 4 , —F, —Cl, —Br, —I or —CN; and R″ is selected from the group consisting of a branched or linear hydrocarbon chain with 1-12 carbon atoms; the compound has a melting point of less than 100° C.; and the cation is a nitrogen-containing cation selected from the group consisting of a quaternary ammonium cation with the general formula (NR 1 R 2 R 3 R) + , an imidazolium cation, a pyridinium cation, a pyrazolium cation, a phosphonium and a triazolium cation, wherein a) the radicals R 1 , R 2 , R 3 are selected independently at each occurrence from the group consisting of: i) linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic or alicyclic alkyl groups with 1 to 20 carbon atoms; ii) heteroaryl groups, heteroaryl-C 1 -C 6 alkyl groups with 3 to 8 carbon atoms in the heteroaryl radical and at least one heteroatom selected from N, O and S which is optionally substituted with at least one group selected from C 1 -C 6 alkyl groups and/or halogen atoms; iii) aryl, aryl-C 1 -C 6 alkyl groups with 5 to 12 carbon atoms in the aryl radical, which is optionally substituted with at least one C 1 -C 6 alkyl group and/or a halogen atom; and b) the radical R is selected from the group consisting of: i) linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic or alicyclic alkyl groups with 1 to 20 carbon atoms; ii) heteroaryl-C 1 -C 6 alkyl groups with 3 to 8 carbon atoms in the aryl radical and at least one heteroatom selected from N, O and S, which is optionally substituted with at least one C 1 -C 6 alkyl group and/or halogen atom; and iii) aryl-C 1 -C 6 alkyl groups with 5 to 12 carbon atoms in the aryl radical, which is optionally substituted with at least one C 1 -C 6 alkyl group and/or halogen atom.