Green Chemistry
Green Chemistry
Green
Chemistry refers to the design of chemical products and
reactions that
reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous
substances. Green
Chemistry is based on 12 basic princibles:
1) Prevent
waste. Design chemical syntheses to
prevent waste, leaving no waste
to treat or clean up.
2) Design
safer chemicals and products. Design chemical
products to be fully
effective, yet have little or no toxicity.
3) Design
less hazardous chemical syntheses. Design syntheses to use
and
generate substances with little or no toxicity to humans
and the environment.
4) Use
renewable feedstocks. Use raw materials and
feedstocks that are renewable
rather than depleting. Renewable feedstocks are often
made from agricultural
products or are the wastes of other processes; depleting
feedstocks are made
from fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, or coal) or
are mined.
5) Use
catalysts, not stoichiometric reagents.
Minimize
waste by using catalytic
reactions. Catalysts are used in small amounts and can
carry out a single
reaction many times. They are preferable to
stoichiometric reagents, which are
used in excess and work only once.
6) Avoid
chemical derivatives. Avoid using blocking or
protecting groups or any
temporary modifications if possible. Derivatives use
additional reagents and
generate waste.
7) Maximize
atom economy. Design syntheses so
that the final product contains
the maximum proportion of the starting materials. There
should be few, if any,
wasted atoms.
8) Use
safer solvents and reaction conditions. Avoid using solvents,
separation
agents, or other auxiliary chemicals. If these chemicals
are necessary, use
innocuous chemicals.
9) Increase
energy efficiency. Run chemical reactions at
ambient temperature and
pressure whenever possible.
10) Design
chemicals and products to degrade after use.
Design
chemical products
to break down to innocuous substances after use so that
they do not accumulate
in the environment.
11) Analyze
in real time to prevent pollution. Include in-process
real-time
monitoring and control during syntheses to minimize or
eliminate the formation
of byproducts.
12) Minimize
the potential for accidents.
Design
chemicals and their forms
(solid, liquid, or gas) to minimize the potential for
chemical accidents
including explosions, fires, and releases to the
environment.
CLICK HERE for more information on Green Chemistry
Site last updated on: 17 March 2005