Peroxide detected in imidazolium-based ionic liquids and approaches for reducing its presence in aqueous and non-aqueous environments

Imidazolium-based ionic liquids were discovered to contain micromolar (M) quantities of a peroxide species. A general approach using catalase (aqueous solution) or a salenmanganese complex (neat IL) for reducing the presence of the peroxide species is described herein. Peroxide species appearing in imidazolium-based ionic liquids could be removed by salenmanganese complexes or the enzyme catalase.