TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The hydrocarbyl halide is removed from the reaction mixture by distillation or evaporation. After the distillation or evaporation, the reaction mixture is added with a further quantity of alcohol or alkene or alkyne, and hydrocarbyl halide is removed by distillation or evaporation. The product Q+A- is isolated by removing unreacted starting materials, hydrocarbyl halide, and water if present, by distillation or evaporation. The reaction temperature is 0-150 (preferably 100-150)degreesC. A strong acid is added to the reaction mixture to facilitate formation of alkyl halide.Preferred Composition: The alcohol and alkene, each is present in 1.2-12 (preferably 2-12) equivalents relative to the organic halide salt. The strong acid is added in 0.001-0.1 (preferably 0.001-0.01) equivalents relative to the organic halide salt.Preferred Material: The alcohol is methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, iso-propanol, n-butanol, sec-butanol, tert-butanol, pentanol, hexanol, heptanol, octanol, nonanol or decanol. The alkene is propene, butene, hexene, cyclopentene or cyclohexene. The Bronsted acid is a weak acid from carboxylic acids, phosphonic acids or phosphinic acids. The organic halide salt is trihexyltetradecylphosphonium chloride, tetrabutylphosphonium bromide, tetraoctylphosphonium bromide, tetrapropylammonium bromide, tetrabutylammonium bromide, N-butylpyridinium bromide, 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide, 1-butyl-3-ethylimidazolium bromide, 1-hexyl-3-ethylimidazolium bromide, 1-butyl-3-ethylimidazolium chloride or N-hexyl-3-picolinium bromide. SPECIFIC COMPOUNDS - Compound (I) is trihexyltetradecylphosphonium methanesulfonate, tetrabutylphosphonium methanesulfonate, tetraoctylphosphonium methanesulfonate, tetrabutylphosphonium D-(+)-camphorsulfonate, tetrapropylammonium methanesulfonate, tetrabutylammonium methanesulfonate, N-butylpyridinium methanesulfonate, 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate, 1-butyl-3-ethylimidazolium methanesulfonate, or 1-hexyl-3-ethylimidazolium methanesulfonate.    EXAMPLE - Trihexyltetradecylphosphonium chloride (51.8 g) and methanesulfonic acid redistilled, 9.61 g) were added to a round-bottom flask (125 ml). Ethanol (2 equivalent, redistilled) was added into the mixture. The mixture was then heated to 100degreesC using an oil bath, and chloroethane was removed from the mixture by distillation under ambient pressure. Water and ethanol were removed by evaporation under reduced pressure. A further 2 eq. of ethanol was added to the vessel and heated to 100degreesC. Chloroethane was again removed via distillation. Water and ethanol were again removed via evaporation under reduced pressure. The process was repeated once more using another equivalent of ethanol. Trihexyltetradecylphosphonium methanesulfonate ionic liquid product was obtained in 100% yield at 100% purity. No precipitate was observed when the ionic liquid was tested for the presence of chloride using 10% aqueous silver nitrate.