Basics of Green Chemistry

Sustainable chemistry, sometimes known as "green chemistry," is a branch of chemistry and chemical engineering that focuses on developing goods and procedures that reduce or completely do away with the usage and production of harmful compounds. [1] Green chemistry is concerned with the environmental impact of chemistry, including reducing the use of nonrenewable resources and developing technological methods for preventing pollution, as opposed to environmental chemistry, which is more concerned with the effects of polluting chemicals on the environment.

The overarching objectives of green chemistry, namely, the design of molecules, materials, products, and processes that are more resource-efficient and naturally safer, can be pursued in a variety of circumstances.

By minimizing or eliminating the risks associated with chemical feedstocks, reagents, solvents, and end products, green chemistry decreases pollution at its source.

Contrary to remediation, which is cleaning up environmental spills and other releases, end-of-the-pipe treatment involves treating waste streams. Separating potentially dangerous compounds from other substances, cleaning them to make them less dangerous, or concentrating them for safe disposal are all examples of remediation. Green chemistry is typically not used in remediation processes. Hazardous compounds are removed from the environment through remediation, whereas green chemistry prevents the presence of these materials in the first place.

The use of hazardous chemicals to remove environmental contaminants must be reduced or eliminated for a method to be considered "green chemistry." One illustration is substituting a safe sorbent [chemical] with a dangerous one in order to safely remove mercury from the atmosphere. Since the hazardous sorbent is never created when the nonhazardous sorbent is used, the remediation approach satisfies the criteria for green chemistry.

The 12 tenets of green chemistry

1. Prevent waste by planning chemical synthesis to do so. Leave nothing behind for cleanup or treatment.

2. Maximize atom economy: Create syntheses with the highest possible percentage of the starting components in the final result. Few or no atoms are wasted.

3. Create chemical syntheses that are less dangerous: Create syntheses that employ and produce compounds that are not poisonous to humans or the environment.

4. Create chemicals and products that are less harmful or non-toxic while yet being fully effective.

Avoid employing solvents, separation agents, or other auxiliary chemicals. Instead, use safer solvents and reaction conditions.