Singly and multiply charged imidazolium cations (ICs) have been identified as a class of chemical compositions that possess potent antineoplastic, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. The imidazolium cations disclosed demonstrate greater or equivalent potency towards cancerous cells as the current clinical standard, cisplatin. These imidazolium cations, however, achieve this efficacy without any of the known toxic side effects caused by heavy metal-based antineoplastic drugs such as cisplatin.