Making the connection between green chemistry and safety at the undergraduate level

Green Chemistry

Making the connection between green chemistry and safety at the

undergraduate level

Robert M. Hanson

St. Olaf College

Northfield, MN 55057

[email protected]

244th ACS National Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

August 21 , 2012

Green Chemistry

My Goals Today

• Emphasize the connection between green chemistry and safety.

• Make that case that GC and safety nicely complement each other.

• Show you what we are doing at St. Olaf College in both these areas.

Green Chemistry

Good reasons to teach about green chemistry

Green Chemistry

Good reasons to teach about green chemistry

• Green chemistry is all about purposeful design.

• Green chemistry demands accountability.

• Green chemistry resonates with student creativity and interest in caring for the environment and for the future.

Green Chemistry

Purposeful Design

• Green chemistry requires a consideration of intent.

– Which of the products is the desired product?

– Is there a better way accomplish the same result?• Involving fewer hazards

• Involving less waste

Green Chemistry

Question:

What is the balanced chemical equation for this reaction?

OHTsCl / Et3N

OTs

Accountability

Green Chemistry

Question:

What other products are formed?

OH1) BH3 THF

2) H2O2/NaOH

Accountability

Green Chemistry

Accountability

• Green chemistry requires consideration of all of the inputs and outputs.

Atom Economy = 40%

before… …after

Green Chemistry

Accountability

• Green chemistry requires consideration of all of the inputs and outputs.

Experimental Atom Economy = 26%

before… …after

Green Chemistry

Creativity

• Green chemistry considerations suggest valuable alternatives.

Atom Economy 84%Exp. Atom Economy 80%

Green Chemistry

Green Chemistry Assistant http://fusion.stolaf.edu/gca

Green Chemistry

120 Questions That Could Save Your Life

http://stolaf.edu/depts/chemistry/safety

Green Chemistry

Green Chemistry At St. Olaf

Lessons learned:

• Students need help learning how to be accountable for the chemistry they do.

Green Chemistry


Lessons learned:

• Introducing green chemistry provides a context for discussing safety, including MSDS sheets, health, and environmental hazards.

Green Chemistry


Lessons learned:

• Students start asking important questions.

Green Chemistry


Lessons learned:

• Faculty start asking important questions.

Green Chemistry


Lessons learned:

• Faculty and students start talking.

Just talk about the different approaches you might take … I think that's kind of how I got it or at least that's how it was when I took it with [organic chemistry lecture professor] where we were just talking, you know, about things and we would just talk about it a little bit and the advantages and disadvantages of it with regards to safety…

Green Chemistry


Lessons learned:

• Risk = f (hazard, exposure)

Green Chemistry


Lessons learned:

• Risk = f (hazard, exposure)

• Awareness = f (interest, exposure)

Green Chemistry


Acknowledgments:

• Gary Spessard• Paul Jackson• Erik Epp• Kallie Doeden

• W.M. Keck Foundation

Green Chemistry


Thank You!

Making the connection between green chemistry and safety at the undergraduate level

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