GREEN CHEMISTRY

PREVENTING POLLUTION
SUSTAINING THE EARTH
 GREEN CHEMISTRY
DEFINITION
Green Chemistry is the utilisation of a set of principles that reduces or
eliminates the use or generation of hazardous substances in the
design, manufacture and application of chemical products .

GREEN CHEMISTRY IS ABOUT

• Waste Minimisation at Source
• Use of Catalysts in place of Reagents
• Using Non-Toxic Reagents
• Use of Renewable Resources
• Improved Atom Efficiency
• Use of Solvent Free or Recyclable Environmentally Benign Solvent
systems
What is the atom economy for making hydrogen by reacting coal with
steam ? The other product is carbon dioxide.
Write the balanced equation:
C(s) + 2H2O(g) → CO2(g) + 2H2(g)

C(s) + 2H2O(g) → CO2(g) + 2H2(g)

12 2 × 18 44 2×2
total mass of products = 44 + 4 = 48g
(note that this is the same as the reactants: 12 + 36 = 48g)
mass of desired product (H2) = 4g
% atom economy = 4 ⁄ 48 × 100 = 8.3%

This process has a low atom economy and is therefore an inefficient

way to make hydrogen.
It also uses a non-renewable resource: coal.
 PRINCIPLES OF GREEN
CHEMISTRY
• The environment and human health.
• A stable economy that uses energy and
resources efficiently.
• Social and political systems
that lead to a just society.
 IN A SUSTAINABLE
CIVILIZATION…
• Technologies used for production
of needed goods are not harmful
to the environment or to human
health.
• Renewable resources (such as
plant-based substances or solar
energy) are used rather than
those, like
fossil fuels, that will eventually
run out.
 IN A SUSTAINABLE
CIVILIZATION…
• Manufacturing processes are either
designed so as not to produce waste
products,
– OR –
• Waste products are recycled or
biodegradable.
 GREEN CHEMISTRY
WORKS TOWARD
SUSTAINABILITY BY:
• Making chemical products that do not harm
either our health or the environment,
• Using industrial processes that reduce or
eliminate hazardous chemicals, and
•Designing more efficient processes that minimize the
production of waste materials.
 Examples of Green Chemistry

• New syntheses of Ibuprofen and Zoloft.

• Integrated circuit production.
• Removing Arsenic and Chromate from pressure
treated wood.
• Many new pesticides.
• New oxidants for bleaching paper and disinfecting
water.
• Getting the lead out of automobile paints.
• Recyclable carpeting.
• Biodegradable polymers from renewable resources.
 SYNTHESIS OF IBUPROFEN
• Ibuprofen is a popular over-the-counter drug that has pain relief
and anti-inflammatory properties. It was originally developed in the
1960’s by the Boots Company of England. The Boots synthesis of
Ibuprofen involved a six-step process that generated millions of
pounds of unwanted waste This became known as the Brown
process due to reactants of the process not being incorporated into
the product because of poor atom utilization.
The solution to this problem was developed by the
BHC Company in 1991. They implemented the
green synthesis of Ibuprofen, which only required
three steps. This process also incorporated most of
the reactants into the final product, reducing or
eliminating most of the waste by-products. The
switch from the Boots process to the BHC process
has resulted in a more efficient creation of
Ibuprofen.
 Classic Route to Ibuprofen
H C l, AcO H , Al W aste HCl Ac O H

Ac 2 O H 2 O / H+
C lC H 2 C O 2 Et
AlC l 3
Na O Et

C O C H3

EtO 2 C
O O HC

N H2 O H

H 2 O / H+

N OHN
H O2C

N H3
Hoechst Route To Ibuprofen

AcOH

HF H2 / Ni CO, Pd
Ac2O

O HO HO2C
 IN SUMMARY,
GREEN CHEMISTRY IS…
• Scientifically sound,
• Cost effective, and
• Leads toward a sustainable civilization.