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Green chemistry metrics
Citation:
GLASER, J. A. Green chemistry metrics. CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, 11(4):371 - 374, (2009).
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
Synthetic chemists have always had an objective to achieve reliable and high-yielding routes to the syntheses of targeted molecules. The importance of minimal waste generation has emphasized the use of green chemistry principles and sustainable development. These directions lead to the formulation of an algorithm to evaluate the efficiency of any synthetic plan despite complexity to a selected target molecule using green metrics criteria. Oseltamivir phosphate, a neuramidase inhibitor selected to treat the H1N1 influenza virus was selected as a target for application of a new algorithm to evaluate the global material efficiency for a series of published synthetic plans. A total of 15 synthetic plans (6 industrial and 9 academic) were selection to test the new algorithm for kernel and global mass efficiencies and E-factors, atom economy, and overall yield performances. Bottle necks in a synthetic plan can be detected through the application of the new algorithm and visualization software. In the areas of synthetic planning for fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals this new approach can offer a deeper understanding and critical analysis of synthetic plans to minimize waste and maximize yield.
