The chemical industry as well as academia search for alternative solvents to meet the requirements of clean technology to avoid the damaging effects of presently used solvents. ILs are good solvents for a wide range of substances. They can easily replace other conventional organic solvents which are used in large quantities in chemicals processing industries to eliminate major environmental problems. The pharmaceutical industry is a highly regulated industry and various environmental regulation clauses have to be met in terms of effluent treatment. Ionic liquids which are also known as green solvents since they are not explosive and it is feasible to recycle and repeatedly reuse them can be of great use to the pharmaceutical industry. Their applications include electrolyte in batteries, lubricants, plasticizers, as solvents in synthesis, matrices for mass spectroscopy, solvents to manufacture nano-materials, extraction, gas absorption agents, solvent replacement, purification of gases, homogenous and heterogeneous catalysis, biological reactions media and removal of metal ions to name a few. In the present paper, an attempt has been made to present a critical review on various aspects of ionic liquids with the aim of their applications and advantages over conventional solvents in analytical chemistry from a pharmaceutical point of view.
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