In this review article, the main aspects related to the ion transfer reactions occurring at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) are described. The particular topics to be discussed involve simple and assisted ion transfer and chemical reactions coupled to ion transfer. The focus is on theoretical approaches, numerical simulations and experimental methodologies.
Concerning the theoretical approaches, different computational simulations related to simple and assisted ion transfer are reviewed. The main conclusions drawn from the most widely accepted models are described and analyzed in regard to their relevance to explain different aspects of ion transfer.
We describe numerical simulations implementing two different approaches,
Regarding the experimental approaches, a brief description of the most commonly used experimental techniques is given. Several experimental results are reviewed and classified on the basis of the different ion transfer mechanisms.
Finally, many practical applications can be envisaged for the determination of physicochemical properties, electroanalysis, polymerization, phase-transfer catalysis, electro-assisted extraction and metallic nanoparticles synthesis and characterization.