Green Solvents Volume 6

The shift towards being as environmentally-friendly as possible has resulted in the need for this important volume on the role of ionic liquids in green chemistry. Edited by Peter Wasserscheid, one of the pioneers of ionic liquid research, and Annegret Stark, this is an essential resource for anyone wishing to gain an understanding of the world of green chemistry, as well as for chemists, environmental agencies and chemical engineers.

The shift towards being as environmentally-friendly as possible has resulted in the need for this important volume on the role of ionic liquids in green chemistry. Edited by Peter Wasserscheid, one of the pioneers of ionic liquid research, and Annegret Stark, this is an essential resource for anyone wishing to gain an understanding of the world of green chemistry, as well as for chemists, environmental agencies and chemical engineers.

In a world where the emphasis has shifted to being as Green and environmentally friendly as possible, leads to the requirement of this important 3-book set of the Handbook of Green Chemistry edited by the father and pioneer of Green Chemistry, Professor Paul Anastas. This series summarises the significant body of work that has accumulated over the past decade that details the breakthroughs, innovation and creativity within Green Chemistry and Engineering. Set II comprises of 3 books, with each volume focussing on a different area and edited by leading scientists in the field: Supercritical Solvents - Editors: W. Leitner and P. G. Jessop Ionic Liquids - Editors: P. Wasserscheid and A. Stark Reactions in Water - Editor: C.-J. Li An essential collection for anyone wishing to gain an understanding of the world of green chemistry and for a variety of chemists, environmental agencies and chemical engineers.

The shift towards being as environmentally-friendly as possible has resulted in the need for this important volume on the topic of reactions in water. Edited by one of the leaders in the field, Professor C.-J. Li, this is an essential resource for anyone wishing to gain an understanding of the world of green chemistry, as well as for chemists, environmental agencies and chemical engineers.

The conventional solvents used in chemical, pharmaceutical, biomedical and separation processes represent a great challenge to green chemistry because of their toxicity and flammability. Since the beginning of “the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry” in 1998, a general effort has been made to replace conventional solvents with environmentally benign substitutes. Water has been the most popular choice so far, followed by ionic liquids, surfactant, supercritical fluids, fluorous solvents, liquid polymers, bio-solvents and switchable solvent systems. Green Solvents Volume I and II provides a throughout overview of the different types of solvents and discusses their extensive applications in fields such as extraction, organic synthesis, biocatalytic processes, production of fine chemicals, removal of hydrogen sulphide, biochemical transformations, composite material, energy storage devices and polymers. These volumes are written by leading international experts and cover all possible aspects of green solvents’ properties and applications available in today’s literature. Green Solvents Volume I and II is an invaluable guide to scientists, R&D industrial specialists, researchers, upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, Ph.D. scholars, college and university professors working in the field of chemistry and biochemistry.

Everyone is becoming more environmentally conscious and therefore, chemical processes are being developed with their environmental burden in mind. This also means that more traditional chemical methods are being replaced with new innovations and this includes new solvents. Solvents are everywhere, but how necessary are they? They are used in most areas including synthetic chemistry, analytical chemistry, pharmaceutical production and processing, the food and flavour industry and the materials and coatings sectors. However, the principles of green chemistry guide us to use less of them, or to use safer, more environmentally friendly solvents if they are essential. Therefore, we should always ask ourselves, do we really need a solvent? Green chemistry, as a relatively new sub-discipline, is a rapidly growing field of research. Alternative solvents - including supercritical fluids and room temperature ionic liquids - form a significant portion of research in green chemistry. This is in part due to the hazards of many conventional solvents (e.g. toxicity and flammability) and the significant contribution that solvents make to the waste generated in many chemical processes. Solvents are important in analytical chemistry, product purification, extraction and separation technologies, and also in the modification of materials. Therefore, in order to make chemistry more sustainable in these fields, a knowledge of alternative, greener solvents is important. This book, which is part of a green chemistry series, uses examples that tie in with the 12 principles of green chemistry e.g. atom efficient reactions in benign solvents and processing of renewable chemicals/materials in green solvents. Readers get an overview of the many different kinds of solvents, written in such a way to make the book appropriate to newcomers to the field and prepare them for the 'green choices' available. The book also removes some of the mystique associated with 'alternative solvent' choices and includes information on solvents in different fields of chemistry such as analytical and materials chemistry in addition to catalysis and synthesis. The latest research developments, not covered elsewhere, are included such as switchable solvents and biosolvents. Also, some important areas that are often overlooked are described such as naturally sourced solvents (including ethanol and ethyl lactate) and liquid polymers (including poly(ethyleneglycol) and poly(dimethylsiloxane)). As well as these additional alternative solvents being included, the book takes a more general approach to solvents, not just focusing on the use of solvents in synthetic chemistry. Applications of solvents in areas such as analysis are overviewed in addition to the more widely recognised uses of alternative solvents in organic synthesis. Unfortunately, as the book shows, there is no universal green solvent and readers must ascertain their best options based on prior chemistry, cost, environmental benefits and other factors. It is important to try and minimize the number of solvent changes in a chemical process and therefore, the importance of solvents in product purification, extraction and separation technologies are highlighted. The book is aimed at newcomers to the field whether research students beginning investigations towards their thesis or industrial researchers curious to find out if an alternative solvent would be suitable in their work.

Green Chemistry is a vitally important subject area in a world where being as green and environmentally sound as possible is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Its applications include the design of chemical products and processes that help to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. The Handbook of Green Chemistry comprises 12 volumes, split into subject-specific sets as follows: Set I: Green Catalysis Set II: Green Solvents • Volume 4: Supercritical Solvents • Volume 5: Reactions in Water • Volume 6: Ionic Liquids Set III: Green Processes Set IV: Green Products Supercritical Fluids (SCFs) and Gas-Expanded Liquids (GXLs) are of great interest in green chemistry because either they are nontoxic and non-polluting solvents (like carbon dioxide or water) or they help one to avoid harmful intermediates through new processing routes. This book examines the use of SCFs and GXLs in catalysis, polymerization and many other major reactions and processes where avoiding the use of a hazardous solvent is beneficial for the environment and the economy. The additional control parameters resulting from the unique physiochemical properties of solvents are discussed and highlighted with numerous examples from the current literature and applications.

The book explores industrial applications of green solvents in industrially important areas such as oil extraction, sensors and biosensors, CO2 capture, lignocellulosic biomass utilization, bio-based chemicals and their application in catalysis, electrochemical devices, purification of pharmaceuticals, organic synthesis and transformations, bio-lubricant additives, aluminum and aluminum-alloy production. The solvents covered include water, ionic liquids, supercritical carbon dioxide and glycerol.