Green approach to inorganic nanostructures: CuCl nanoplatelets (see picture) were synthesized from mixtures of a Cu-containing ionic liquid crystal and 6-O-palmitoyl ascorbic acid. The particle size, thickness, and connectivity can be adjusted through varying the reaction temperature. The copper-containing precursor acts as both the template and the copper source. The ligand is not consumed in the precipitation and can be reused.