Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

1. It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up

waste after it is formed
Chemistry labs
Handling, treatment and disposal of hazardous
substance
Unconverted reagent

Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

2. The use of auxiliary substances (e.g. solvents,
separation agents, etc.) should be made
unnecessary wherever possible, and innocuous
when used
General use of auxiliary substance
Concerns for solvents
Environment (CFC, VOC)
Supercritical fluids
Solvent less
Aqueous
Immobilized
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Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

3. Energy requirements should be recognized for their
environmental impacts and should be minimized.
Synthetic methods should be conducted at ambient
pressure and temperature
Energy usage by the chemical industry
How energy is used
The need to accelerate reaction with heat
The need to control reactivity through cooling
Separation energy requirements
MW, Sonic
Optimizing the reaction should mean minimizing
energy requirements
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Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

4. A raw material of feedstock should be renewable rather
than depleting wherever technically and economically
practical
Renewable vs depleting feedstock
Sustainability
Direct environmental effects
Indirect environmental effects
Limited supply creates economic pressure
The political effects of petroleum
Concerns about biological feedstock (seasonal
supply, land/energy usage)
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Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

5. Synthetic methods should be designed to

maximize the incorporation of all materials used
in the process into the final product
Rearrangements
Addition
Substitution
Elimination

Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

6. Synthetic processes should avoid use and

generation of toxic and environmentally damaging
substances
Risk=f(Hazard, Exposure)
Acceptable level
People not using control
Control failure

Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

7. Chemical products should be as effective as

possible but with minimum toxicity
What is designing safer chemicals

Why is this possible (three tier: structural change,

correlation, bioavailibilty)

Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

8. Derivatization for blocking groups protection and
property modification should be avoided
The prevalence of this practice in chemistry
Blocking/protecting group
Making salts etc
Adding functional group only to replace it

Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

9. Catalytic reagents should be used when possible
because of their specificity and minimum amounts
required
Selectivity enhancement
Energy minimization

Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

10. Chemical products should be designed so that at the
end of their lifetime they readily break down to harmless
products
The current situation
Persistence in the environment
Plastics
Pesticides
Consider degradation as function
Designing for biodegradability
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Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

11. The best analytical and monitoring capabilities should be
employed to allow real-time, in-process monitoring that
prevents formation of hazardous substances
You can not control what you cannot measure
12. Substances and forms of them used should be chosen to
avoid potentially harmful releases, fires, and explosions
Use of solids or low P substances
Just in time technique
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