|
Green chemistry, also called sustainable chemistry, is a
chemical philosophy encouraging the design of products
and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and
generation of hazardous substances. Whereas
environmental chemistry is the chemistry of the natural
environment, and of pollutant chemicals in nature, green
chemistry seeks to reduce and prevent pollution at its
source. In 1990 the Pollution Prevention Act was passed
in the United States. This act helped create a modus
operandi for dealing with pollution in an original and
innovative way.
As a chemical philosophy, green chemistry derives from
organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry,
analytical chemistry, even physical chemistry. However,
the philosophy of green chemistry tends to focus on
industrial applications. Contrast this with click
chemistry which tends to favor academic applications,
although industrial applications are possible. The focus
is on minimizing the hazard and maximizing the
efficiency of any chemical choice. It is distinct from
environmental chemistry which focuses on chemical
phenomena in the environment.
In 2005 Ryoji Noyori identified three key developments
in green chemistry: use of supercritical carbon dioxide
as green solvent, aqueous hydrogen peroxide for clean
oxidations and the use of hydrogen in asymmetric
synthesis. Examples of applied green chemistry are
supercritical water oxidation, on water reactions and
dry media reactions.
Bioengineering is also seen as a promising technique for
achieving green chemistry goals. A number of important
process chemicals can be synthesized in engineered
organisms, such as shikimate, a Tamiflu precursor which
is fermented by Roche in bacteria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_chemistry
|