Room-temperature ionic liquids that dissolve carbohydrates in high concentrations

Carbohydrates are only sparingly soluble in common organic solvents as well as in weakly coordinating ionic liquids, such as BMImBF4. Ionic liquids that contain the dicyanamide anion, in contrast, dissolve approx. 200 g L−1 of glucose, sucrose, lactose and cyclodextrin. Candida antarctica lipase B mediated the esterification of sucrose with dodecanoic acid in BMImdca.