Ionic liquids have attracted increasing interest in the context of green organic synthesis, because their physical properties and ability to be reused many times turn them into potential replacements for classic organic solvents. However, in the last years, ionic liquids have been shown also to play an intriguing role in controlling reactions as solvents or catalysts. The number of published papers increases every year and, since ionic liquids can be applied to literally any reaction, it is not surprising that new syntheses of heterocycles in these reaction media have been described. We have selected for this month the review «Ionic Liquids in Heterocyclic Synthesis» by Martins et al. (Chem. Rev. 2008, 108(6), pp 2015–2050). This review covers specific applications of ionic liquids in the cyclocondensation reactions so familiar to medicinal chemists.


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