As part of a broader effort to evaluate the suitability of a variety of ionic liquids (ILs) as solvents for the extraction of actinides and fission products, a series of new ILs containing a (1-hydroxyalkyl)-functionalized imidazolium cation have been prepared and characterized. Although certain of their physicochemical properties (e. g., density, liquidus range) remain largely unaffected vs their N,N'-dialkylimidazolium analogs by hydroxyl-functionalization, other characteristics (e.g., hydrophilicity) are measurably changed. In addition, this functionalization has been found to alter the "balance of pathways" among the various routes by which a metal ion may partition between aqueous nitric acid solutions and ionic liquids containing a neutral extractant.