A study on acute toxicity and solvent capacity of solvate ionic liquids: in vivo using a zebrafish model (Danio rerio)

Solvate ionic liquids are equimolar solutions of lithium bistrifluoromethylsulfonimide in triglyme (G3TFSA) or tetraglyme (G4TFSA), are a new class of ionic liquids with potential application in a variety of areas such as energy storage in lithium batteries and as a potential alternative to traditional organic solvents. Herein we present the toxicity of G3TFSA and G4TFSA in an in vivo animal model (Danio rerio), and we also present toxicity data for lithium bistrifluoromethylsulfonimide, bmimTFSA, along with tri- and tetra-glyme to give context to the toxicity of the ionic liquids. Moreover we demonstrated that G3TFSA and G4TFSA have similar solvability compared to DMSO to block retinoic acid synthesis during zebrafish embryogenesis using N,N-diethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB). The findings show that, when used in this capacity, DEAB has the same biological effect with no difference in off-target toxicity, validating these ionic liquids as potential replacements for DMSO.