Chlorine-Free Syntheses for Green Chemistry (PAC special topic issue)

The first Special Topic issue devoted to green chemistry was published in Pure and Applied Chemistry in July 2000 [Pure Appl. Chem.72, 1207-1403 (2000)]. Since then, three collections of works have been published, arising from the recently launched IUPAC series of International Conferences on Green Chemistry:- 1st International Conference on Green Chemistry (ICGC-1), Dresden, Germany, 10-15 September 2006: Pure Appl. Chem.79, 1833-2100 (2007)- 2nd International Conference on Green Chemistry (ICGC-2), Moscow, Russia, 14-20 September 2008: Pure Appl. Chem.81, 1961-2129 (2009)- 3rd International Conference on Green Chemistry (ICGC-3), Ottawa, Canada, 15-18 August 2010: Pure Appl. Chem.83, 1343-1406 (2011)This Special Topic issue forms part of the series on green chemistry, and is an outcome of IUPAC Project No. 2008-016-1-300: “Chlorine-free Synthesis for Green Chemistry” previously announced in Chemistry International, May-June, p. 22 (2011).The IUPAC Subcommittee on Green Chemistry was founded in July 2001 and has selected the following definition for green chemistry [1]: “The invention, design and application of chemical products and processes to reduce or to eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances” [2].Much controversy persists about the appropriate terminology to describe this new field of research. Which term should be selected, “green chemistry” or “sustainable chemistry”? Perhaps consensus can be achieved if different purposes and interests of chemists are reconciled. If we are involved in fundamental research devoted to the discovery of new reaction pathways and reagents, “green” is the best word because it defines these intents, thus the term “green chemistry” would be the best name for this field of research. If we are interested in exploitation of a process or a product that must be profitable, then such chemical manufacture must be sustainable by many criteria (price, competition, profit, environment, etc.), and, accordingly, “sustainable chemistry” is the term that best defines this objective.This Special Topic issue has been designed with the intent to explore the restriction, or preferably prevention, of the use of halogenated compounds, whenever feasible, through the assembly and reporting of already identified information. This intent has been pursued through innovative synthetic pathways using clearly identified production drivers (e.g., energy consumption, environmental impact, economical feasibility, etc.). In past decades, scientific knowledge and feasible technologies were unavailable, but we now have enough expertise to pursue discontinuation of hazardous and toxic reagents. In fact, the replacement of reagents that are toxic, dangerous, and produced by eco-unfriendly processes is still an underdeveloped area of chemistry today.Pietro TundoProject Co-chair1. For a short history of green chemistry, see: P. Tundo, F. Aricò. Chem. Int.29(5), (2007).2. P. Anastas, D. Black, J. Breen, T. Collins, S. Memoli, J. Miyamoto, M. Polyakoff, W. Tumas, P. Tundo. Pure Appl. Chem.72, 1207 (2000).

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Preface

Pure and Applied Chemistry ◽

10.1351/pac20077911vi ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 79 (11) ◽

pp. vi

Author(s):

Pietro Tundo

Keyword(s):

Green Chemistry ◽

Industrial Development ◽

Product Evaluation ◽

Green Energy ◽

Special Topic ◽

Sustainable Chemistry ◽

Young Generation ◽

Special Issue ◽

Process Technology ◽

Topic Issue

This Special Topic issue on green chemistry pursues the same objectives as the Special Topic issue published in July 2000 and can be considered as its continuation. The articles have been selected (with great difficulty) from the massive and valuable scientific contributions on green chemistry by numerous professors and researchers during the 1st International IUPAC Conference on Green-Sustainable Chemistry held 10-15 September 2006 (for more details on the conference, see Chemistry International, Vol. 29, No. 3, 2007).The wide selection of topics was chosen with the intent to attract industrial researchers and representatives, colleagues from universities, as well as politicians and students who are interested in green and sustainable chemistry.The week-long conference was divided into five topics, each of which included several subtopics. This special issue covers the following topics discussed during the conference:benign syntheses routes (heterogeneous catalysis, new reagents, and catalysis for degradation of pollutants);benign process technology (microwave technology, photochemistry, new regulation devices);use of renewable sources (starch, cellulose, sugar, new detergents, biomass technology); andfuture green energy sources (hydrogen technology, fuel cell technology, biodiesel).All the articles reported in this issue point out a general need for novel green processes which comes from a new paradigm in process and product evaluation that must include environmental and health issues (see Chemistry International, Vol. 29, No. 5, 2007). In order to reach this objective, one priority should be to push for more basic research on chemical reactions related to green chemistry, where our knowledge is far from completion.In recent times, in fact, the difference between sustainable chemistry and green chemistry is becoming more evident. Sustainable chemistry envisages an industrial involvement and promotion with the aim of achieving fewer pollutant processes and more valuable products, maintaining, at the same time, profits. Whereas green chemistry is more innovative because it is not necessarily connected to profits, it involves fundamental aspects and does not aim automatically at an industrial process. There is a great need to create a new type of chemistry focused on a new production system and utilization of chemical derivatives, in order to prepare the younger generation to reach a greener future. Following this scenario, this special issue has been planned with the aim of extending the knowledge on green chemistry, not disregarding, however, the industrial interest.Nowadays, globalization (induced by many factors such as industrial development) pushes the chemistry community to adopt ethical issues. In this respect, green chemistry can achieve, better than sustainable chemistry, the approval of society by teaching students to be confident in science and at the same time by convincing people that it is possible to achieve technological development respecting and taking care of the environment in which we live. In order to realize these objectives, it is important that education and fundamental research are strictly connected, so that democracy and development can also grow and progress side by side. In my personal experience I think that the young generation is very interested and passionate about green chemistry. An example is dott. Fabio Aricò (postdoctorate fellow in my group) who helped me through the organization of the IUPAC conference and the preparation of this special issue with enthusiasm and passion.Pietro TundoConference Chairman

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Chlorine-free synthesis: An overview

Pure and Applied Chemistry ◽

10.1351/pac-con-12-02-02 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 84 (3) ◽

pp. 411-423 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Pietro Tundo

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Industrial Revolution ◽

High Energy ◽

Special Topic ◽

Ozone Layer Depletion ◽

The Past ◽

Process Chemistry ◽

End Products ◽

Chemical Strategies ◽

Topic Issue

Since the Industrial Revolution, chlorine has featured as an iconic molecule in process chemistry even though its production by electrolysis of sodium chloride is very energy-intensive. Owing to its high energy and reactivity, chlorine allows the manufacture of chlorinated derivatives in a very easy way: AlCl3, SnCl4, TiCl4, SiCl4, ZnCl2, PCl3, PCl5, POCl3, COCl2, etc. in turn are pillar intermediates in the production of numerous everyday goods. This kind of chloride chemistry is widely used because the energy is transferred to these intermediates, making further syntheses easy. The environmental and health constraints (toxicity and eco-toxicity, ozone layer depletion) and the growing need for energy (energy efficiency, climate change) force us to take advantage from available knowledge to develop new chemical strategies. Substitution of chlorine in end products in compounds where “chlorine is used in the making” means that we avoid electrolysis as primary energetic source; this makes chemistry “without chlorine” considerably more difficult and illustrates why it has not found favor in the past. The rationale behind this Special Topic issue is to seek useful and industrially relevant examples for alternatives to chlorine in synthesis, so as to facilitate the development of industrially relevant and implementable breakthrough technologies.

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