Ionic liquid compositions

A composition comprising:

• (a) a support selected from the group consisting of organic and inorganic supports;
• (b) a composition of the formula
• A┐⊕B⊖
• wherein A is selected from the group consisting of compounds of the general formulae:
• and wherein each occurrence of Z is independently selected from the formula
• (Y)nXm
• where Y is OR or R,
• and wherein X is halide and wherein p is an integer from 1 to 4, r is an integer from 0 to 10, 1, 1′ and 1″ are integers from 0 to 4 wherein 1+1′+1″+p≦4,
• n+m=3 and wherein n ranges from 0 to 3 and m ranges from 0 to 3 and wherein said cyclic systems (depicted by circles) contain 4 to 10 atoms in addition to one or more nitrogen atoms, and may also contain sulfur or oxygen atoms a singly or double bonded to said ring and wherein said cyclic system may be a single, double or triple ring system and wherein B− is selected from the group consisting of salts, anions, alkylates and halogenated salts of the Group Ib, IIIb, IVb, Vb, VIb, VIIb, IIIa, IVa, Va, VIa, VIIa, and VIIIa elements of the periodic table and wherein g is an integer from 1 to 4, x is 1 or 2 and y is 1 or 2, wherein each R in the above formulae is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl, halogenated alkyl, halogenated aryl, halogenated aralkyl, halogenated aralkyl, oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur substituted alkyl, oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur substituted aryl, oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur substituted aralkyl, oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur substituted cycloalkyl groups having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms and mixtures thereof, and wherein each R′ in the above formulae is independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl, halogenated alkyl, halogenated aryl, halogenated alkyl, halogenated aralkyl, oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur substituted alkyl, oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur substituted aryl, oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur substituted aralkyl, oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur substituted cycloalkyl groups having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms and mixtures thereof, and wherein said compound having the formulae A+B− is covalently bonded to said support through said A+ group;
• (c) an ionic liquid selected from the group consisting essentially of modified ionic liquids A+B−, ionic liquids and mixtures thereof is coulombically bonded to said A+B−;
• and
• (d) a catalyst or catalyst precursor immobilized within said ionic liquid, wherein the amount of the catalyst or catalyst precursor ranges from about 0.01 to about 1 wt % based on the weight of said composition.