The resource utilization of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is an important and promising topic in energy chemical engineering. The previous products developed in our group through H2S conversion are sulfur or mercaptan acids. Alternative way to convert H2S is still desirable. Herein, we developed a green and mild method to convert H2S into mercaptan alcohols by the addition reaction with epoxide mediated in tertiary amine-functionalized protic ionic liquids (PILs). Reaction kinetics, substrate scope, and regeneration experiment have all been explored. Almost quantitative conversion of substrates was realized with catalytic loading of PILs at 30 C. Water extraction was used to recycle the catalysts from the reaction system. It is believed that the excellent results, together with its operational simplicity and the ability to successively reuse the catalyst, make this new methodology environmentally benign and cost-effective. The generality of the H2S resource methodology gives it potential for application on an industrial scale.

Carbanion-based ionic liquids are proposed and utilized as the key components for the construction of five super-nucleophilic deep eutectic solvents (SNDESs) in the paper. The super-nucleophilic nature of carbanion-based ILs is found to enable the capture of CO2 with large absorption capacity. However, the absorption is very slow in the IL due to high viscosity. The synergy of carbanion siting and hydrogen bonding is found to enable high and fast absorption of CO2 in [N2222][CH(CN)2]-ethylimidazole (Eim), and a synergistic absorption mechanism is proposed and validated from spectroscopic analyses and quantum calculations. The enthalpy change of CO2 absorption in [N2222][CH(CN)2]-Eim is calculated to be -39.6 kJ/mol according to the thermodynamic model, and the moderate value implies that both absorption and desorption of CO2 in the DES are favored and well balanced. The synergism of carbanion and hydrogen bond mediated by SNDESs provides a novel insight into the efficient CO2 capture.