Green Chemistry Chapter 1

Study Notes

Green Chemistry aims to promote innovative chemical technologies to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture, and use of chemical products
Green Chemistry is about reducing waste, materials, hazard, risk, energy, and cost

Reduce adverse environmental impact through the appropriate and innovative choice of material and their chemical transformations
Develop processes based on renewable raw materials rather than non-renewable ones
Develop processes less prone to chemical release (fires and explosions)
Minimize by-products in chemical transformations through redesign of reactions and reaction sequences
Develop less toxic products
Develop products that degrade readily in the environment compared to existing products
Reduce the need for hazardous solvents & extractants
Improve energy efficiency through low temperature & pressure processes, using new catalysts
Develop efficient and reliable methods for monitoring processes for better control

Waste prevention is superior to waste treatment
Atom economy should be maximized
Hazardous chemicals should be designed to be less hazardous
Safer solvents and auxiliaries should be used wherever possible
Design safer chemical syntheses
Design energy efficient chemical processes
Use renewable feedstocks whenever possible
Reduce chemical derivatizations
Use catalysts, not stoichiometric amounts of reagents
Design chemical syntheses to maximize degradation after their useful life
Hazard analysis should be conducted prior to the process
Inherently safer chemistry for accident prevention (choose materials and forms that minimize potential for accidents)

A measure of how many atoms of reactants end up in the final product and how many end up as byproducts or waste in a chemical process.
Calculated as (Relative Formula Mass of desired product × 100)/ (Relative Formula Mass of all reactants)
Atom economy is useful in reaction planning stage
High atom economy means most atoms from reactants are used to make the desired product
Low atom economy indicates more atoms in the reactants end up as a by-product or as waste

Defined as a plan of 17 interconnected goals to tackle the global challenges facing humanity, aiming for better health, economic, social, and environmental outcomes by 2030.
Examples of goals included within the list include: ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, promoting gender equality and sustainable development.