Characteristics of Deep Eutectic Solvents

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) exhibit unique physical properties that align with the criteria for green solvents, including safety, non-toxicity (particularly for natural DESs), non-flammability, non-volatility, thermal stability, sustainability, biodegradability, and cost-effectiveness. DES has gained significant attention in the field of green chemistry over the past seventeen years, resulting in numerous publications exploring various research areas and diverse applications. These solvents offer promising alternatives to traditional organic solvents, primarily due to their simple preparation using readily available and natural compounds. Additionally, DESs demonstrate a high degree of tunability, allowing for customization to specific requirements. In this chapter, we provide a comprehensive overview of the properties of deep eutectic solvents including melting point, biodegradability, density, and surface tension. These properties can be controlled by factors such as the choice of constituent compounds, their molar ratio, temperature, and water content.