Chemical Education Today
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Topics in Green Chemistry by Mary M. Kirchhoff
With this column we introduce a regular JCE feature on green chemistry. Submissions should have a green chemistry component and are invited in areas such as interdisciplinary courses, stand-alone courses, laboratory experiments, demonstrations, student research, incorporation into existing courses, case studies, and materials development. Send all submissions to the editorial office, noting on the cover sheet that they are intended for Topics in Green Chemistry. Dissemination of green chemistry educational materials will greatly facilitate incorporation of this important framework into the curriculum. Green chemistry concepts will be fully integrated when the label “green chemistry” is no longer needed because all chemical processes and products will have been designed in an environmentally friendly manner. What Is Green Chemistry? Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. It is pollution prevention at the most fundamental level of atoms and molecules. Green chemistry blends innovative chemistry with economic and environmental benefits, offering a [Green chemistry] science-based approach to solving some of our most significant environmental problems. It is highly inis pollution terdisciplinary, incorporating asprevention at the pects of engineering, biology, economics, and ethics. Green chemistry is an approach most fundamental to the practice of chemistry that advocates doing chemistry in an level of atoms environmentally-responsible manner. The Twelve Principles of Green and molecules. Chemistry, as articulated by Anastas and Warner (1, 4), serve as a guide for developing more environmentally-benign products and processes. These principles focus on all aspects of synthesis and processing, such as solvents, separations, energy, and minimization of waste. The concept and practice of green chemistry forms the core of developing a strategy for a sustainable chemical industry and, indeed, a sustainable world. Yet, green chemistry is only beginning to be introduced into the curriculum, in part because it is a relatively new field with few pedagogical resources available to facilitate adoption. Interest in green chemistry educational materials is growing, and several green chemistry educational resources have been developed or are currently under development (1–7). These range from stand-alone courses, to greener laboratory experiments, to weaving green chemistry concepts and examples into existing courses. The idea of atom economy, for example, can be introduced during discussions on mass balance or types of organic reactions; in the laboratory, an experiment may be run in water instead of a traditional
organic solvent. Case studies on companies that have implemented green chemistry technologies help bridge the divide between theory and practice and can provide a foundation for interdisciplinary collaborations between chemists and economists, engineers, and philosophers. Literature Cited 1. Anastas, P. T.; Warner, J. C. Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice; Oxford University Press: New York, 1998. 2. Cann, M. C.; Connelly, M. E. Real-World Cases in Green Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, 2000. 3. Heinhorst, S.; Cannon, G. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 150. 4. Hjeresen, D. L.; Schutt, D. L.; Boese, J. M. J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 1543. 5. Reed, S. M.; Hutchison, J. E. J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 1627. 6. Cann, M. C. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 1639. 7. Collins, T. J. J. Chem. Educ. 1995, 72, 965.
Mary M. Kirchhoff is Assistant Director, Green Chemistry Institute, American Chemical Society, 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036;
[email protected].
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 78 No. 12 December 2001 • Journal of Chemical Education
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