Skip to main content

Green Chemistry

Water as a Solvent in Heterogeneous Catalysis

Water presents significant advantages when used in heterogeneous catalysis. Unlike traditional organic solvents, water is non-toxic, non-flammable, and readily available. Heterogeneous catalysts, which differ in state from the reaction medium, can be performed in water to facilitate various chemical reactions. For instance, micellar catalysis has proven effective for aminations, leveraging recyclable catalysts and aqueous reaction media to achieve high reactions yields of pharmaceutical APIs and complex targets.

Natural Polymers: Paving the Way for Sustainable Materials

The use of polymeric materials from renewable resources has a long history, with naturally occurring polymers being among the first materials used by men. In the 19th century, natural materials, such as casein, natural rubber, and cellulose, were modified to obtain useful polymeric materials. Over the past few decades, the production and application of synthetic polymers have seen an almost exponential increase.

Base Metals Homogeneous Catalysis as a Greener Synthesis Tool

Metal catalysts play a fundamental role in the pursuit of sustainable practices. They can optimize efficiency and minimize waste in chemical reactions that produce sustainable products/processes, helping to reduce harmful substances to the environment and human health, combat climate change, and generate clean energy. The most widely used catalysts are noble metals (e.g., platinum, palladium, and iridium) due to their desirable catalytic properties, such as high stability and temperature tolerance. However, the use of noble metals is hindered by their high cost and limited availability.

Biocatalysis

Key points

  • Biocatalysis refers to the use of natural catalysts, such as protein enzymes, to conduct chemical reactions. 
  • These biocatalysts are particularly advantageous in chemical processes because they combine the selectivity of directing groups and the efficiency of catalysts into single reagents. 
  • Enzymes can also be combined with other enzymes in one-pot reactions, allowing for complex multi-step syntheses.

Green Chemistry Commitment Audit Report 2022 2023

Every year as part of the Green Chemistry Commitment Program, Beyond Benign ask our GCC Signers to complete an Audit Questionnaire survey to report on the status of their green chemistry journeys at their institutions. This helps Beyond Benign to assess patterns of where and how green chemistry is included in higher education institutions and allows us to better serve our Signers through the GCC Program.

ACS GCI Green & Sustainable Chemistry Summer School

The ACS Green and Sustainable Chemistry Summer School (GSCSS) is a highly selective week-long program for graduate students and postdoctoral chemists and engineers. Each year, approximately 60 exceptional students from North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean are selected from a large pool of applicants and gather for this fully funded once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The American Chemical Society pays for all eligible travel and program costs.

The Elsevier Foundation Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge

The Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge is one of the Elsevier Foundation’s flagship partnerships. Together with Elsevier’s Chemistry journals, the Elsevier Foundation provides funding of 25,000 euros for 2 winning projects per year, implementing green & sustainable chemistry solutions in the Global South – advancing both Climate Action (SDG 13) and Gender Equity (SDG 5).