Ionic liquids (ILs) as green alternatives for volatile organic solvents are increasingly used in commercial applications. It is necessary to explore the cytotoxic mechanism of ILs to reduce the risk to human health. For this purpose, cell viability, apoptosis, cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), glucose transporter type 2 (GLUT2), and microRNA‐122 (miR‐122) gene expression in HepG2 cells was evaluated after IL exposure. The results showed that ILs reduced the viability of HepG2 cells through apoptotic cell death. Moreover, ILs markedly upregulated the transcription and protein levels of CYP3A4, but did not affect the expression of GLUT2 in either messenger RNA level or protein level. Finally, ILs increased the expression of miR‐122 and inhibition of miR‐122 with miR‐122 inhibitor blocked ILs‐induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. This finding may contribute to an increased understanding of the in vitro molecular toxicity mechanism of ILs to further understand IL‐related human health risks.

Two new ternary metal coordination polymers (CPs), namely, {[Co2(BTC)(L)]·0.25H2O}n (1) and [Ag(HIPA)(L)]n (2) (H4BTC = 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid, H2IPA = isophthalic acid, L = 1,6‐bis(5,6‐dimethylbenzimidazol‐1‐yl)hexane) were hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, and powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD). 1 exhibits unusual 2D network with point symbol {43.63}2{46.66.73}. 2 possesses 1D chain structure which is further extended into a 3D supramolecular network via O–H···O hydrogen‐bonding and π–π stacking interactions. 1 and 2 can selectively detect benzaldehyde (BZH), Fe3+ (just 1) and Cr2O72− (just 2) ions in water via the luminescence quenching process. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activities of two CPs were evaluated for degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl violet (MV) under UV irradiation.