Simplifying the Switch to Green Chemistry

[ACSGCI]

Contributed by Derrick Ward, Program Manager, Beyond Benign, and Erika Daley, My Green Lab

Are you looking to integrate green chemistry into teaching labs, but just can’t find time to look for and analyze new experiments? Are you a TA that would like to suggest safer experiments with a lower environmental impact, but haven’t been educated in the topic yourself? Are you a student or staff researcher that would like to make simple changes to green your lab practices, but don’t know where to start? We are happy to share that two non-profit organizations have joined forces to bring you a solution!

Global industries are redefining their core business strategies by adopting greener chemistry practices that are reinventing supply-chain ecosystems to design models that create value for all stakeholders – including the planet. By simply adopting greener chemistry practices, whole industries have seen positive benefits ranging from novel innovations, reduced operational waste and costs, to increased market presence by differentiating themselves amongst their competitors. As a result, the North American green chemistry market is projected to grow from $3 billion to $20 billion by 2020. To facilitate the education and adoption of green chemistry by scientists supporting this market, we are thrilled to share that Beyond Benign and My Green Lab recently launched ‘A Guide to Green Chemistry Experiments for Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Labs’, with support from our mutual sponsor Millipore Sigma.

The guide provides 10 published, peer-reviewed green chemistry experiment that have been identified as substitutions for traditional undergraduate organic chemistry teaching lab experiments, in a pre-packaged, customizable manner that you may use as-is, or adjust to fit your own needs. Each experiment includes an introduction, experimental procedure, EH&S ratings, comparative analysis against traditional experiments, a TA guide, and example quiz questions. An assessment demonstrating qualitative benefits of green chemistry implementation, including energy efficiency, use of renewable resources, and use of safer solvents is also provided. Our goal was to make it as easy as possible for you to integrate these greener alternatives in your own teaching labs.

We took this opportunity to include several resources that extend well beyond academic teaching labs and apply to all academic and industry research settings. The introduction chapter includes information on greening common laboratory techniques, solvent and reagent substitution guides, ‘green chemistry 101’, and explanation of the EH&S safety ranking system we used so that you may adopt it for your own purposes.

How to Get Your Free Copy!

This guide is a FREE resource available for the chemistry community, from undergraduate students to faculty members, and it is available to download by scanning the QR code below or at: https://tinyurl.com/GreenChemGuide

Webinar

After downloading your FREE copy of “A Guide to Green Chemistry Experiments for Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Labs”, check out the instructional webinar highlighting in more detail the design and benefits it offers to your organic chemistry laboratory! You can access the webinar here.

We Want to Hear From You!

We would love to hear from you with regards to how you are using the Guide, and suggestions for experiments you would like to see in future editions! To provide this and any other feedback, please take a moment to complete the following survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GreenChemGuideFeedback2018. We know your time is valuable, and greatly appreciate your input!